Penner’s Purpose
“You don’t go home from a business when it belongs to you. Everything has something to do with the business.” That’s the biggest lesson 20-year-old Angelia Penner learned in her first year as owner of Purpose Coffee, located inside The Pear Tree at 521 US 87 South in Dalhart.
Penner was 16 when she began working at the coffee shop for Russell and Julia Williams. She worked part-time because that’s all the shop was open. Three years later, when the couple decided to relocate to Lubbock, they gave Penner a choice: they would either close the shop or hand it over to her. “They literally gave me the business,” Penner said. “I took some time to think about it, but I knew the whole time that I was going to accept their offer.”
She added that she learned she had a lot to learn, including ordering, inventory and menu planning. “Making coffee was the easy part. But running a business hasn’t been too hard,” she said.
Penner said she has no regrets about her decision to take on the coffee shop. She has made a few changes since taking over, including extending the hours to 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturday. The business is closed Sunday. “I also make my own syrups, where they used to just buy them,” she said. “I taught myself how to do it.”
She has also hired a part-time assistant to help out a couple of days a week. She said that owning her own business hasn’t really changed her life much. “It’s not like I had this planned,” she said. “Most of my friends work full-time, so it’s not that different. In life, you just have to wait and see what happens.”
So, what’s next for Penner and Purpose Coffee? “I’m just going to keep growing my business,” Penner said. “I’ll keep offering new seasonal drinks, and I bake most of my own pastries as well.”
She added that business has been “amazing” the past year. “Everyone has been so supportive,” she said. “I really want to thank my family, friends, and the community.”
And what advice does she have for other people her age? “Find a job you love,” she said. “Stick with it and see where it takes you!”
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