By JOE IRWIN

Senior Reporter

POULSBO — It’s a major event when Mary Mears and Suzy Beek agree on something, or for that matter, anything. Nonetheless, the philosophy that evolved from this friendly friction was so strong that the two were not only able to create a business on its foundation but a strong one at that.

For nearly a decade the Poulsbohemian Coffeehouse has been serving up cups of coffee while providing a local artistic outlet based on a not-so-simple concept.

“We operate on the ‘whim-whim’ method,” Mears explained. “We’ve been true to it and it hasn’t failed us.”

Umm, okay. So, how does it come into play?

“We get a feeling, an intuition… we’ve found that if we both agree on something it usually works,” Mears said, adding that she and Beek are so different, finding this common ground isn’t always easy — it is, however, a lot of fun.

“It’s unexplainable,” Beek said with a laugh. “There are no words.”

The two quickly created an acronym for the concept though, with Beek stating:

We

Have

Independent

Methods

All joking aside, the idea has worked well for the two.

For instance, they couldn’t agree whether to make the Poulsbohemian a morning spot or an evening location. So, they did both and brought in not only the crack-of-dawn java junkies but folks looking for a nice place to meet, play games and discuss everything from movies, art and poetry to music.

While Mears and Beek split opinions almost as often as their barristas pour out steaming mugs of joe, they have remained good friends over the years.

“Our partnership is really a good partnership,” Mears said, noting that she took over total ownership of the Front Street shop a year ago in January after co-owned the business with Beek for over nine years. “We’ve always compared it to a marriage — and our divorce was amicable,”

It shows and the two banter back and forth like a couple of sisters before big dates.

The magic beans have always kept the two together, though. They originally met while Beek was serving up the morning brew at Monorail Espresso in Seattle. The business is touted as the Emerald City’s first coffee cart.

Mears was a customer there for 11 years before she looked west with Beek and set their caffienated sights on Little Norway.

Although the Poulsbohemian got off to a slow start, it has since taken off as a spot for everything from good beans to good times.

“Even when it was pretty slow we stuck it out,” Mears said, adding that her advice to new business owners was to stick it out as well.

This is something the new owner knows all too well.

A published but starving poet and writer, Mears opened the Poulsbohemian to augment her artistic requirements and surround herself with like-minded people.

“I wanted to promote that part of me and create a unique meeting place,” she explained, noting that various groups now call the shop their official headquarters for discussion. “That’s an important thing to me and I find that the quality of people you find here is pretty easy going.”

So is her at-opposite-ends-of-the-spectrum relationship with Beek.

Despite this, the two said they want to write a book on the coffee shop entitled, “Witness to an Accident,” which would offer their differing perspectives on life and stories heard. Once written, and with their long-running history of “conflict resolution,” the two should be able to agree on a publisher by the time the “chicken or the egg” debate is finally settled.

Poulsbohemian Coffeehouse

19003 Front Street

(360) 779-9199

www.silverlink.net/pbch/