Mother-son business team bring taste of New Orleans to Palmview

A business duo has brought a new coffee shop to the area.

For the last two months, Palmview residents have enjoyed New Orleans-inspired coffee after the opening of a PJs Coffee in the city. 

Marcus and Aracely Villarreal (center) at the ribbon cutting ceremony for PJ‘s Coffee Friday, Jan. 8, 2021. Courtesy photo.

“We’re the only PJ’s in south Texas,” co-owner Aracely Villarreal said. “PJs Coffee shops are open in bigger cities like Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio and here.”

The New-Orleans-based coffee house carries a complete line of espresso-based beverages, flavored coffee, and award-winning Original Cold Brew iced coffee, as well as a variety of food options such as breakfast sandwiches, fresh baked pastries and desserts.

Villarreal, who co-owns a Subway franchise location in Palmview with her son, Marcus, said the team was looking to bring a coffee shop to Palmview when they discovered PJs Coffee during a trip to Houston.

“What attracted us to this franchise was the quality,” Villarreal explained.  “All of their products are popular and it seems like the community has been really enjoying it. We’ve been busy since we’ve opened, I guess people love having a high-quality coffee place in the area.”

Marcus said he recalled being impressed by PJs Coffee when he first tried it in Houston.

“It’s coffee that you can tell is homegrown in New Orleans, it’s something different than just your ordinary coffee,” Marcus said. “We have Mardi Gras inspired decorations and flavors and a lot of our products are enriched there. We’re bringing the lifestyle and flavor of New Orleans to the Valley. And we knew the city needed something to call its own, and not have to drive to get coffee in other cities.”

Since opening in early November, Villarreal and Marcus said the success of PJs Coffee celebrates the business relationship between the two.

“We’ve both shared similar business ideas and we bounce off of each other,” Marcus said. “We help each other out in operations, finances, media outlook and have always worked with other businesses and knew we wanted to continue working together.”

Last week, PJs Coffee was officially welcomed into the city of Palmview with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Among the attendees was Palmview Chamber of Commerce President Linda Sarabia who said PJs Coffee is a sign of growth for the city.

“We work hard to attract new businesses and make them feel welcome so it’s a proud moment for us,” Sarabia said at the ceremony. “We’ve known the community has wanted a coffee shop for a long time so this is a big blessing.”

For Villarreal, the biggest sign of success for the coffee shop is the reactions from customers when they leave the cafe.

“We’re proud owners, definitely proud to be here in this area and to see the gratitude from customers enjoying what we serve,” Villarreal said.