The unique house with the ramp and deck at 8595 Mentor Ave. is a familiar site for many travelers on one of the main roads in Lake County.
The name of the business that occupies the building may have changed over the years, but the aromas and tastes of blends of coffee remain familiar to recent fans thanks to an Ashtabula County couple who has dedicated their lives to roasting coffee that keeps people coming back.
Calico Jack has taken over the location formerly operated as Lakeshore Coffee Company, but it is providing the same blends and roasts that loyal customers have come to enjoy.
Calico Jack is run by a coffee-loving couple, Chris and Charisse Barbian, along with their Emmy-award winner in film editing nephew Austin Barbian. They took over when the landlord of the building, and a business partner next door in CLE Juice Box, approached them.
“CLE Juice Box approached us with the possibility of taking over and we were finally in a position to do our first brick-and-mortar location after the online success,” Charisse said. “Mentor has been fantastic and we thought it would go well because of the loyal customers that came from the blends we provided for Lakeshore Coffee. We hoped they would come back and the response has been wonderful.”
Calico Jack has been on a pursuit of coffee perfection through a dedication to environmental, social and fiscal sustainability and a commitment to creating cutting-edge coffee.
The couple was very active in the coffee-roasting community making their name known for quality and passion. They were part of the Cleveland Roasters Club sharing ideas and exchanging all of their knowledge with others across the globe.
The website indicates: “We are not in this business to create just coffee, we are in this business to bring the best coffee from the plantations to your cup.”
Chris was born in Northeast Ohio around numerous wineries. His passion for the perfect taste followed him to the passion of coffee. He is an engineer by trade and perfection by science is his way of life. That is how Calico Jack began, with the search for perfect tasting coffee by using a popcorn maker,
Challenges are what Chris is familiar with having beat three Stage 4 cancers — throat cancer, then lung cancer followed by osteosarcoma. Chris hopes to generate a business that can give back to the cancer community for research.
Charisse was born in Cleveland and grew up in Northeast Ohio, settling down in its wine country. She is a barista by trade who loves talking coffee and working directly with people. She began her coffee adventures in the heart of Cleveland’s many coffee shops between doctor appointments for her husband Chris.
The love of Calico Jack Coffee grew from her owning and operating her own video store business for 20-plus years in her younger days. She has learned about coffee from participating in roasting, cupping and creating delicious cups of coffee alongside her husband and nephew’s coffee explorations.
In 2018, Chris and Charisse Barbian, and their nephew Austin, bought a popcorn machine at Goodwill. They modified it to reach higher temperatures and used it to roast coffee. The new hobby was a distraction for Chris who was undergoing chemo/radiation treatment.
Now, the hobby has turned into a full-time business.
“The customers who loved Lakeshore Coffee here are coming back and that’s so important for us,” Charisse said. “Coming from Harpersfield in Ashtabula County, we had to be sure this was something we wanted to take on, and it has been wonderful so far. ”
The name and logo are a draw as well as the drinks and treats inside. It stemmed from a character named Calico Jack who was a nemesis of the famous pirate Blackbeard.
The logo which includes a cat in pirate gear comes from Charisse who once had a cat named Calico and a design commissioned by Austin.
The menu plays into that pirate world with several popular sellers named after that world such as Black Pearl, Mother of Pearl, Tanzanite Gem and Sailor’s Delight.
Calico Jack is open seven days a week.
For hours of operation or to view the menu, visit calicojack.coffee.