Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Johnson.
Hi Chris, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born and raised on the Yakama reservation by two amazing entrepreneurs. My dad ran a very successful logging company within the area and my mom a country western bar. Growing up meant being in the woods, eating bar food, and seeing my parents drive and ambition to build something for themselves and our fellow native community.
I tried to take on those attributes as I started my coffee and professional journey in 1988 working for Nordstrom. I just had broken my back from an incident where a drunk driver hit me and fled and needed to get a start somewhere coming back from a serious injury. I went from dishwasher to prep cook to barista, and eventually worked up to helping Nordstrom open Ebars across the country. This was the early days of coffee as we roasted in the same facility as Starbucks (and at the time had more locations then they did) and I started getting ingrained in coffee culture. I probably would have never left it, but when my son was on the way, I decided to go from the outside coffee carts to working internally for Nordstrom and chase more opportunities. From there I once again worked my way up to eventually buying ladies shoes for the entire corporation. I’m thankful to Nordstrom for empowering me and giving me the opportunity to grow as a leader. It’s something I’ve tried to take with me ever since to give others the same chance.
From there, I was recruited and worked for the Target corporation, which brought me to Oregon to run many of the stores in the state as a Store Director. After doing that for a number of years like many people, 2020 was a time that brought me to change once again. I had a devastating event where I almost lost my wife. Returning back to work from that made me realize how important it is to do something you love and that is yours. That’s when my son and I started talking of starting All Your Heart Coffee, a name that came from our desire to do something that we could do with passion and create a space where others could chase their dreams too. I wanted to get back to the first start I had in coffee and sharing that mutual interest with my son is my own dream I’m chasing now. We now have two locations in the South Waterfront and Downtown.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No life worth living is without struggles and challenges. In those moments I have come to learn that there are so many lessons and being vulnerable opens you up to many opportunities and experiences.
Key moments along the way would be when I lost my dad at 15 and I moved out on my own. I didn’t have much during that time, if anything. Being short on resources and basic needs I discovered that if you are willing to work and learn, opportunities will follow. After breaking my back I had to rely on myself to find a way out of that too. Nordstrom suited me well by giving me an open door to grow and learn.
There is plenty more I’ve had in my lifetime as struggles have guided my steps, but I can look back and say, “wow I have survived and grown from each one.”
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I operate a coffee business as owner and founder with my son Brycen. We believe what sets us aside is building connections, creating a genuinely welcoming atmosphere, and doing our best to operate as servant leaders. Community is kinda a buzzword in the coffee shop world, but we do believe in building a team of great individuals, empowering them to be themselves and collectively doing our best to ingrain ourselves in neighborhoods with the connections we make and atmosphere we create. There’s nothing worse than going into a shop and feeling tension or disinterest inside and not feeling like you belong in it. More than anything we’re thankful to have a space where we have a strong core of regulars and having our entire starting crew still with us now 2 years later.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I believe that you build your network not by quantity, but quality. Over the course of my life I have worked to stay curious and slow down when having a conversation, so I can learn from each interaction. It’s amazing what kind of connections you make and how many people want to share their gifts.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: AYHCoffee
