Bead & Berry Coffee House opens

A British woman who was born in Kenya, worked in Japan and lived in Austria opened a shop in Maricopa offering craft coffee, hand-selected teas, artisan breads and other fresh foods. 

 

Claire Bullivant brings her worldly experience to Bead & Berry Coffee House, 20800 N. John Wayne Parkway in the old Seven Cups Coffee location. 

 

Bullivant moved to Maricopa a year and a half ago from Vienna, Austria.

 

“I moved to Maricopa because I had an affiliation with XP and, it sounds weird, but God said go to Maricopa. Of all the places in the world I could have gone anywhere, and I came here.”

 

Bullivant took over the coffee shop from Patricia King and Sally Mehl of XP Ministries, who operated it for a few months after purchasing it from the Hajaig family, owners of Seven Cups Coffee.

 

“It took amazing people,” Bullivant said of the process of opening her business. 

 

One consultant she credits with invaluable interior decorating advice: “I wanted to do it all plumbs and raspberries, and he said no man is going to come in here, so he saved me on that front.”

 

With a week under her belt, Bullivant has experienced “a lot of people coming in, a lot of good comments and helpful comments. But what I like most is there are some really interesting people coming. There are musicians and artists and people who sew, and just really nice people. Everyone is really friendly.”

 

Bead & Berry will soon be selling handbags and other hand-made goods in-store and online for charity. 

 

While Bullivant is committed to “start small and get it right,” she has goals of expanding internationally.

 

“We have a global vision … my dream is to help people all over around the world who have been sex-trafficked.”

 

Bullivant said Bead & Berry offers a good atmosphere, healthy food and a placed to meet like-minded people.

 

“I hope it’s going to be a meeting place, where people can come and know that they’re going to meet really interesting people, friendly, where everybody talks to everybody else,” she said.

 

The shop is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday through Friday and closed Saturday.