What was the inspiration for starting Screaming Bean Cafe?
Everyone has a dream. Mine was to open a coffee shop — a dream that brewed for seven years before becoming reality. But I didn’t just want a place that served coffee; I wanted to create a third place. You know — if you’re not at home and you’re not at work, where do you go to feel grounded? For me, it was always those little mom-and-pop cafés where you could sit with a book, check your emails, and lose track of time over a warm cup and good conversation.
So I spent years researching, saving, and investing to build not just a coffee shop, but a community coffee shop. Because I’ve always believed profits should be a gauge, not a goal. From the very beginning, it was never about owning a café; it was about discovering what we could do with one to make a difference. The espresso machines and bagels are just the tools. The real product is hope, connection, and community.
That’s why our mission statement is simple but profound: to make the world a better place than it was when we woke up this morning. That statement is etched on the wall in our store. Some people chase success; we chase significance. The world doesn’t need another coffee shop — it needs more places where kindness is brewed daily. That’s the blend we’ve been perfecting ever since.
In what way was giving back to the community part of the vision from the beginning?
For us, community isn’t a buzzword; it’s our DNA. It means giving back. It means showing up. It means asking, “What can we do for others today?” instead of “What can others do for us?” At first, giving back was as simple as donating to a local fundraiser or providing coffee for a school event. At least, that was how the first seven or eight months went along. Then the café grew in popularity, and I guess that was because we didn’t just claim to be a community hub — we proved it day after day, month after month. One year after we opened doors, we were getting our second location open and discovering how [much] busier we were compared to the year prior. We realized that the real success of a coffee shop isn’t measured by profit margins — it’s measured by the lives it touches. The more lives we touched, the busier we got.
Can you share a story of how your contributions made a tangible difference for someone or a group in Harford County?
One of the most powerful examples of what “community” truly means came during the fundraiser we held for Kevin Peters back in July. One of our customers told us about [him being] seriously injured in an accident. When we learned the details of what had happened, there wasn’t a moment of hesitation. We publicly announced that 100% of the profits from that entire day’s worth of sales would go directly to help Kevin and his family. We even donated $1,000 out of our own pocket on top, so we knew (and publicized) that we were going to take a loss that day. There were no conditions, no fine print — just neighbors helping neighbors.
The response was overwhelming. The line went out the door and at times wrapped around the building. People came from all over Harford County — some who knew Kevin, most who didn’t — all united by compassion. They bought drinks, left donations that far exceeded their orders, and filled the shop with words of encouragement and hope. By the end of the day, we had raised far more than anyone expected, but the true success wasn’t measured in dollars — it was written in the faces of everyone who showed up.
Have there been unexpected outcomes from your community involvement that you didn’t anticipate?
What I didn’t expect was transformation. Some of our biggest hearts started as customers who came in for coffee and ended up doing the same themselves by launching their own charitable endeavors. It’s funny — you set out to make the world better, and somewhere along the way, the world makes you better too.
Anything else you’d like readers to know:
If there’s any success tied to The Screaming Bean, it doesn’t belong to me — it belongs to the employees who show up every morning before sunrise, who pour their hearts into every cup, and who treat every customer like a neighbor. They’re the ones who make this place what it is. I might have started the idea, but they’re the reason it works. The truth is, a business doesn’t succeed because of one person — it succeeds because of a team that believes in something bigger than themselves.
That’s why our mission statement is simple but profound: to make the world a better place than it was when we woke up this morning.
The truth is, a business doesn’t succeed because of one person — it succeeds because of a team that believes in something bigger than themselves.