communItY connectIon
on the spot: Pam Foland
paM foLaNd LiVes iN purdy, where she aNd husbaNd, patrick, owN aNd operate, “utopian bean” coffee house, in the newly renovated downtown purdy. though pam and patrick have made their home and raised their children in purdy, pam grew up in a large family with 10 siblings in Michigan. when she graduated from high school, she moved to san diego for a change of scenery, where she lived with two older sisters. that’s where pam met and fell in love with patrick, a native of san diego, on ocean Beach just south of Point Loma where Patrick had grown up. The two eventually moved to the ozarks after visiting patricks parents, who had decided to transplant themselves here, and fell in love with country living. connection: tell us why you and patrick decided to open utopian Bean. pam: it just sort of took on a life of its own. We used to take frequent walks, in the evenings with our kids, and as we passed this old empty building, in downtown Purdy, we would imagine how cool it would be if there was something going on in this place. We’d gaze into the dusty storefront windows and imagine various things; an ice cream parlor or old-time candy store, etc. When coffee houses began to spring up in Springfield, and then other towns, we realized how long it had been since we had seen anything like that (since leaving San Diego). i started imagining how great it would be to have that kind of a business right here in Purdy. it became a frequent thought, every time we’d drive by or walk by – “there’s the perfect location for a little coffee house.” the building was bought by a local businessman, and major renovations began to happen. the story in the paper was that new offices were being planned for that location, and not much more was said. We were glad someone was rescuing this old building! Unexpectedly, in the fall of 2010, Patrick’s employer downsized their staff in several departments, and his job was affected. While he was out and about in his new career search, Patrick stopped in to the new office he saw open in the building 54 | connection Magazine
and asked the office manager what type of business they were conducting here. She told him about Project genesis. (more about Project genesis: http://marethenterprises. com/press.php?tag=genesis and http://www. purdygenesis.com/about/) Patrick came home very excited about what he had just learned. For seemingly no “reasonable” reason, he plucked my coffee house imaginings out of the air and put them on paper that day, and told me he wanted to pitch the idea to Project genesis! i was astounded! he began referring to it as “Pamela’s coffee house,” but i didn’t want my name on it, i didn’t like that. So, i got abstract in my search for a business name. i looked up the origin of the name Pamela. i found out it was first used in a story called “Arcadia,” in the 16th century. So, i suggested to Patrick that we call it “arcadian Bean coffee house.” he said that sounded like a video game parlor. i looked further for words that coincide with the meaning of arcadia – Utopia came up on the list. It fit just right. Utopian Bean was born. We printed out a business plan and put together a large notebook with all the details we could conceive of. in our meeting with ed Mareth, he told us how people wonder why he started Project genesis and tell him he is just “too Utopian” in his vision for Purdy – he used that phrase a couple of more times. i held up the notebook we had
put together, the title being “Utopian Bean.” To me, that seemed like a very defining moment in our meeting. We kept in touch with ed over the next few weeks, and he agreed to let us lease the space. From that point, as we imagined each step of the process, it came to life. We love all the things you can get at a good coffee house. Love the smell in the air of fresh ground coffee beans and baked goods, and being amongst smiling faces. So, how exciting is that, to be able to do that right here in our home town! coffee is not just a drink, it’s an experience! We opened our doors May 20, 2011. connection: Besides owning a coffee house, you have professional experience in what field? pam: i worked in various food service industries throughout my 20s: family restaurants, a French restaurant, a private yacht club, and non-Commissioned Officers club, and then local diners when we moved to southwest Missouri. each place was an educational experience – learning different menus and new foods i had not experienced before. i loved watching the chefs and cooks, and learning about the ingredients and cooking techniques for the food i was serving. after having my second child, and living out in the country with very limited food industries in the area, i decided i wanted to try a different line of work. in January 1994, i began working at (then) aurora community hospital. i discovered i really enjoyed all the variants that come with working in the human resources field. I don’t like “routine” work, and although hr has a structure and lots of rules and regulations, it is definitely not “routine” from day-to-day. i was hired at cox Monett in 1998, and remained there until January of this year. connection: what is your favorite part about having a coffee house? pam: i have a few “favorite things” about Utopian Bean. When people walk in and stop for a moment to gaze around the room and smile, it surprises me every time i see that, even though i see it every day! i also love it when we are very busy, and i am in the kitchen and i can hear lots of March 2014
communItY connectIon
laughter from the dining room. it makes me feel happy that our guests are enjoying their time here, enjoying the food and having a good time. i have met so many wonderful people here, who i would not otherwise have met, i am so grateful for all of them! and, at the end of the night, when i turn off the lights and gather my keys to leave, i stop to take in a moment of quiet. i look around the room in the dim light and take in a deep breath, i don’t know why, but i just love that. connection: do you have any future plans for your shop, or expansion of business in purdy? pam: Yes, i do want to enhance the menu and change it up a bit. it will make my staff crazy at first, but after all, I can’t stand “routine” (smile). i am going to learn how to set up a Utopian Bean web page and by this summer i plan to offer mail order gift baskets, and other special order items. Long range plans are still in the “dreaming” phase, as far as expansion goes. We want to be here for a long time so it’s a constant work in progress. connection: some of your favorite things? pam: Book: recently read “Bread givers” by anzia Yezierska. a very touching story about a russian/Jewish immigrant in the early 20th century in america. Movies: out of africa, titanic, in america, and Lord of the rings trilogy. Favorite Vacations: Lake Superior and Lake Michigan beaches and shoreline, Mackinac island, and Pensacola Beach, Fla. 4 things on your bucket list: pam: hot air balloon ride! Vacation in ireland. Vacation in hawaii. climb the water tower. 3 favorite foods to eat: pam: carne asada tacos, real italian lasagna, cookies and cream ice cream cake. 2 fond memories: pam: Staying with my grandparents for the summer, which was great being the “only child” for a change, for almost the whole summer. They took me fishing, out for long drives along scenic routes of keweena Peninsula in upper Michigan. i also enjoyed March 2014
going with them to local parks for picnic lunches, and walks along the lake shore. 1 surprising talent: Drawing. i have always loved to draw, and attempt to paint. i am always surprised with myself when i produce anything that i actually like. connection: what did you want to be when you were a child? pam: a nurse. Until i reached my early teen years and discovered that involved handling certain bodily functions that i could not imagine handling. then i wanted to be an artist. connection: what is your favorite season? pam: Late Spring/ early Summer. is that a season? :)
connection: tell us about your kids. pam: Joshua is 24. he graduated from Purdy high school in 2007, in the top 10 in his class. he has always been fascinated with gadgets, shapes and designs. he was not interested in sports, even though we signed him up for youth baseball league every year until he told us “no more.” he preferred video gaming and puzzles, and he would make things out of Lego kits that were not “on the box.” he went to Drury University for two years, hammonds School of architecture, then transferred to MSU to change his major to construction technology. he is a wiz at a program called inventor, as well as auto-cad. he graduated with his bachelor of science degree in May of 2013, and began working full time for an engineering firm in Springfield. Joshua recently married ariel Smith, whom he met on campus at MSU in 2010. ariel graduated with her master’s degree in english and is currently working on another master’s degree (in technical Writing), while working as a grad assistant at MSU. Both Josh and ariel are die-hard video gamers, even their wedding theme was video game based. So they are certainly made for each other! they chose the new Veterans Memorial Park in Purdy as their wedding site, and held the reception at Utopian Bean. Kaitlan, 20, also lives in Springfield, works part time at a fitness center, and is an MSU student. She graduated from Purdy high School in May 2011 where she attended Purdy high School from k through 12th grade. She is majoring in Journalism, leaning toward broadcast journalism. kaity, as she prefers to be called, was a dance student at Mary Beck School of Dance from age five to 14. She joined the cheerleading squad in high school, art club, choir, FccLa, FBLa, and speech and debate team. Where her brother Josh was more solitary, and happy with only two or three good friends, kaity developed a strong circle of friends that included more than a dozen “BFFs,” from all backgrounds and personality types. She was on the go all of the time. When her friends were at our house, it was sometimes an adventure. girls are messy – yes, it’s true! But, i loved it when they would be getting ready for a dance or special occasion, girls in every room putting on makeup and dresses and doing their hair. connection Magazine | 55