Your Take: A sip of talking (coffee) shop

Choices of coffee shops are on many corners of Seattle, but for 21 years coffee lovers have returned to Cafe Solstice.

Cafe Solstice started out as a small espresso stand in the Capitol Hill District in Seattle by a couple of friends, including current co-owner Joel Wood. Shortly after, Doug Sowers joined the team.

"I had been a barista for two years previously," Sowers says. "After moving from Portland to Seattle, I needed a job to get by, and it was fun work."

It was so fun that Sowers and Wood became partners and expanded from a coffee stand to a storefront in the University District in 1993.

This year the partners opened a location near the original stand in Capitol Hill. Today, each location employs about 15 Seattleites and serves about 500 cups of Lighthouse Roasters daily.

Sowers and Wood check on the cafes every day and even find the time to occasionally make a mean espresso. But their main focus is on the day-to-day tasks, like managing the books.

Woods says because he's been self-employed for his adult life, he appreciates the freedom that comes along with entrepreneurship despite the risks and stress.

"When it comes to running a small business, you're self-directed," Sowers says. "You don't have anyone to show you what to do as a model."

For more information, visit Cafe Solstice's Facebook.

Do you own a small business? Share your success story in our Talking Shop topic. Sign up for Your Take using your Facebook or Google+ account , and then follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and the Yo app at justyo.co/YOTAKE.