HANSVILLE — In some towns, coffee shops come and go. In Hansville, it’s a happening.

“I don’t think a day goes by that someone doesn’t stop by and say, ‘When are you opening?'” said Joy Ulskey, who with three partners has opened the Cup of Joy cafe on Hansville Road. The breakfast, lunch and espresso stop was set to launch Thursday.

Cup of Joy joins the Hansville Grocery and Hansville Auto Repair as one of a handful of downtown businesses.

Joy and Darryl Ulskey, and Bob and Cathy Sand plan to make the former real estate office into a hangout for Hansville residents and visitors.

“They’re all looking for a place to congregate,” Joy said, “a place to share, whether it’s food or coffee or stories.”

Cup of Joy’s menu is simple. The breakfast offering include pastries from Liberty Bay Bakery in Poulsbo and a few warm dishes. For lunch, the cafe has an array of geographically-themed sandwiches like the Point No Point (bacon, lettuce tomato) and the Kitsap (roast beef and horseradish).

There is coffee, of course – both espresso and drip — provided by a Vashon Island roaster.

“I’m still a drip guy,” Bob admitted.

The two couples live in Edmonds and the Ulskeys have a summer home on Skunk Bay. They saw opportunity in the Hansville Road building and drank in the town’s quiet feel.

“Coming across on that ferry is a blood pressure drop,” Bob said.

They bought the former real estate office on Hansville Road from the Forbes family a few years ago and set about remodeling it into a cafe.

They tore walls down to the studs, refinished floors, and added a kitchen, a fireplace, thick wooden tables and leather chairs. The upstairs will be rented as an apartment. Space next door is reserved for the gift shop.

Cathy and Joy will spend time running the cafe, and the couples have hired six local staff members to help.
Bob said the process has been long but rewarding.

“We’re really looking forward to joining the community here,” he said. “To the extent that we can attract people to downtown Hansville, that’s good for everyone.

Cup of Joy is located on Hansville Road in downtown Hansville. The cafe is open Tuesday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed Monday.