Oct. 21, 2004

Scholarship to Honor Espresso News Founder

BOONE -- Ten years ago this month Mark DeBroder began his dream job as owner and operator of Espresso News and Mosaic Books in Boone.

Unfortunately, cancer claimed the young entrepreneur’s life in January 2003, but not before he had become part of the fabric of downtown Boone.

A scholarship in DeBroder’s memory is being established by his father, Glen DeBroder. It will benefit a student majoring in geology at Appalachian State University. Members of the Department of Geology faculty were such regulars at the coffee shop, that they made Mark DeBroder an honorary member of the department.

DeBroder fell in love with the Boone area after attending a concert on the Appalachian campus with his friend, Teresa Webb. “Mark and Teresa decided they wanted to open a coffee shop in Boone,” his father said.

Although he worked a full-time job as floor manager of a coffee shop in Winston-Salem, DeBroder would make regular trips to Boone looking for a spot for his own business. He found it at 267 Howard Street, in a building that used to house a tractor dealership.

“ It started with a lot of blood, sweat and tears,” Glen DeBroder said, recalling the early days of his son’s business venture. “He would drive from Winston-Salem and work (on the building) until 2 a.m. and then drive back.”

Like any good business major, Mark DeBroder studied the competition in the area to determine what would make his business a success.

When DeBroder opened his doors Oct. 14, 1994, Espresso News was one of only two coffee shops in Boone, but others soon followed. Late in DeBroder’s illness, a new competitor told one of DeBroder’s employees that he would run Espresso News out of business within four months. DeBroder responded by personally delivering a congratulatory card and bottle of champagne to the business owner, and offered to help the competitor anyway he could. DeBroder later supplied coffee beans to the competitor when the new business ran out of his supply shortly after the business opened.

“ Mark was such a nice guy, soft spoken but with a twinkle in his eye,” said Fred Webb, a regular customer and former Department of Geology chairman. “He made you feel at home when you walked in the door.” Webb became such a regular at the shop – stopping in two or three times a day – that his wife threatened to put him on a budget.

Faculty would gather to talk about their academic pursuits, and oftentimes would meet with students to discuss class projects. “It began to feel like a satellite operation of our campus,” Webb said.

To contribute to the scholarship fund, send donations to the Appalachian State University Foundation, PO Box 32007, Boone, NC 28608, specifying that the donation is for the Mark DeBroder Memorial Scholarship Fund.

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