Coffee Perch Keeps it Simple in Walpole

The Coffee Perch in Walpole opened just shy of a year ago, and manager Chelsea Harper said it’s been quite a ride since then.

Harper said she first started with the Perch just a few days after opening, and after working as a barista for seven years, said she was very impressed with the time owners Mark and Maura McAuliffe took to get their coffee right.

“They went to trade shows all over the place,” Harper said. “It was a while and they took their time. Every product we sell they took a lot of time to look for. It was supposed to open in June of 2012 for example and opened in August.”

Harper said the Perch uses coffee beans from the Ocean Coffee Company based in Rhode Island.

“A lot of people tell us it’s the best coffee they’d ever had,” she said.

Harper said she started working in coffee shops when she was 15.

“I originally started working at Perk’s Coffeehouse six or seven years ago,” she said. “I’ve been a barista since my first job, and it’s something I’m really passionate about. I really really enjoyed it and stuck with it for a long time. I find coffeehouses attract a really diverse clientele and really cool, down to earth people.”

Harper added she’s always loved coffee, even when it might not have been always advisable to do so.

“I’ve always been a coffeehound” she said. “Since iw as a little kids I used to sneak sips all the time.”

Harper said in a very short time the shop had seen a large uptick in customers, and she said the novelty of a new store can be a powerful thing.

 “There was the initial blast in August and September because people were excited about something new in the town center,” she said. “Parking here is not ideal, so we did see a drop off in the winter.”

Harper said what she thinks kept the Perch afloat during that time was that they always try to listen to their customers whenever possible.

“We keep adding new things to the menu,” she said. “Smoothies, coconut water yogurt, etc. The way we’ve done it is to play to what the customers want. We’ve listened to every suggestion we can. We had a request recently for a bacon avocado sandwich, a lot of people wanted them and now we have them. Listening to feedback is what I would say is most important.”

Harper said they bake all their food at the Raven’s Nest right next to them, which the McAuliffes also own.

“I think it’s really important that we do all our baking here,” she said.

The Coffee Perch is located on 1006 West Main St.