Jittery Joe's seeks to brew up some business in Atlanta.

Byline: Matt Kempner

Jun. 3--Sometimes a really cool name helps.

In the early 1990s, Jittery Joe's, founded by a singer in a punk rock band and his older brother, grabbed a piece of the coffeehouse action in the college town of Athens.

Now, a new set of owners is trying to spread its good name to metro Atlanta, where few people other than University of Georgia grads -- and cycling fans -- have heard of it.

The chain's three Atlanta area stores are just reaching their one-year anniversaries, and more of its orange-toned shops are in the works. But at times it's been "a very hard slog," said Bob Googe, who owns four Jittery Joe's franchise locations in Athens and also is a part owner and chief executive of the franchiser company.

"I never intended to end up in the coffee business," he said.

Googe, a Presbyterian minister and former CPA, was one of the best customers for Jittery Joe's in Athens.

Then he learned that one of the shops was up for sale. His career change percolated from there.

Googe bought in in 2002 and gradually took a greater role in the rest of the business, helping to grow the chain from two shops to nine, with four more franchise operations expected soon.

In addition to the four stores in Athens, there are shops in Cartersville, Buford, Peachtree City, Watkinsville and Clemson, S.C., with plans for additional shops in Athens, two sites in north Fulton, and one in Cobb or Cherokee counties.

The chain's first franchise location, in Snellville, closed earlier this year, Googe said. "It was a horrible location."

Companies like Starbucks, with a strong brand and lots of financial muscle, can afford high-traffic real estate.

But smaller operations like Jittery Joe's often settle for less.

Googe said the metro Atlanta franchise stores are not on top sites. Another problem: "People just don't know us very well," he said.

That's despite the fact that Jittery Joe's found a way to give itself a narrow national footprint that's uncommon among small coffeehouse operations.

For several years, Jittery Joe's has sponsored a professional cycling team that tours the nation and, sometimes, other countries.

The unlikely pairing gives the chain a fan base among cycling enthusiasts. More than 700 bicycle shops in 48 states sell cans of Jittery Joe's coffee beans -- the only place they're available except for Jittery Joe's shops or online -- Googe said. And area Jittery Joe's often hold group cycling rides starting at their store parking lots on Saturday mornings.

Jonathan Wade, a 24-year-old studying for his osteopathic medical exams, regularly drives past a Starbucks and a small local coffee shop to get to the Jittery Joe's in Buford.

It's quieter than other shops and not overpriced, he said.

Plus, he likes the feel.

"It caters to a group that is adventurous. Sponsoring a bike team: That's really cool. You don't see other coffee places do that."

Sam Bagwell and Rajeev Kaila, two 20-something lawyers sitting nearby, have spent about a month working out of the store's dining area as they launch plans for their own law firm.

They unhinge their laptops on the tables, relying on the shop's Internet connection and paying their keep in "coffee rent."

"I like the atmosphere" better than at Starbucks, Kaila said. "The employees are more friendly. It's less corporate, more laid back."

Jittery Joe's, he surmised, is run by people who "are still working for it."

"Starbucks doesn't have to worry about it as much because they are already on every corner," he said.

Jittery Joe's is designed to be un-Starbucks and unlike some other coffeehouses, which is to say unpretentious, said Keith Kortemeier, a former punk rocker who founded the business with his brother, Karl, and helped run it for 13 years before selling most of his stake.

The chain takes its coffee seriously and carefully roasts its beans, he said, but he veered away from fancy names. There is no venti or grande. The drink sizes at Jittery Joe's are Lil' Joe, Joe and Big Joe. The business sells Joe's Mama's biscuits. And a top drink on campus is the chain's Ying Yang Mocha, an espresso with dark and white chocolate sauces.

Franchisees try to play to their strength as local owners. With limited marketing dollars, they are encouraged to put their money into sponsoring school football and basketball teams or local drama clubs.

There are other independent coffee shops, but Googe said that's not where his attention is. "We are all playing against Starbucks."

He said he intends to make Jittery Joe's a major competitor in the Southeast. If he just can get to consumers first, he reasons, they will stay Jittery Joe's customers rather than connecting to Starbucks.

He and his partners have plans for 100 stores in five years. And he's set aside enough corrugated metal from old barns and chicken houses to decorate the interiors of 800 Jittery Joe's shops.

Said Googe, "There's no sense in thinking small."

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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