Today we’d like to introduce you to Melisa Perez.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Melisa. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started out with all the odds against me but was determined not to be a statistic. I had two kids before I graduated, with honors, from high school and 3 kids and married by the time I was 19.
Then at the age of 22, I began my life as a single mother of a 2, 3 and 6-year-old. Money was very tight and I took a full-time job working for a church daycare to help me save on childcare. I managed every cent of my $8000 per year to provide for my children and keep up with my mortgage. When my youngest was of school age, I found a job as a job coach with the Mansfield Independent School District. Through the Texas Higher Education Exemption Board’s tuition exemption, I was able to start college and had taken a 2nd job driving the school bus for the church daycare. I focused on my family, school and work, driven with the goal of finishing my education degree so that I could enjoy the summers with my children. In 2002, I met, Daryle, my now husband who owned a small funeral home with his family in Arlington. The summer of my last college year, I began working in the office and enjoyed helping our client families. In 2004, we married and refinanced my home and purchased the shares from Daryle’s family. Together we grew our small funeral home into a large, beautiful new location in Mansfield, my home town. A few years later I had placed in my heart to do something in our historic downtown and in October 2011, I opened Marylou’s Sandwich Shoppe.
Marylou’s was created to bring fresh, wholesome food into Mansfield, a town with many fast food chains. It was inspired by the memory of my mother making lunch for us as kids. You know, the feeling of how great your sandwich tastes when someone else makes it for you. I wanted to create a place where people feel like part of our family and enjoy their lunch like their mother would have made it. To know they are in a place built on Christian values. MaryLou’s recipes are my mother’s, Mary Louise, from which our name is derived. Our mantra is “Making Lunch Simple” and our chicken salad has become the signature food item we are known for. My shop has been well received since its inception and in 2013 I attended the Texas Coffee School to learn the techniques of a well-trained barista. I rolled out the coffee side of MaryLou’s and changed the name to MaryLou’s Coffee and Sandwich Shoppe. With my oldest daughter managing our shop, and an exceptional staff highly reviewed for their friendliness and welcoming attitude. I decided to do something for myself and finish my college degree. January 2015, with the help of prayers from my many friends and church family, I enrolled, was accepted and received a full scholarship to the Dallas Baptist University. On December 18, 2015, I received my Bachelor’s in education and Christian ministries. In 2017, we accepted an offer to buy our funeral home and I continue to focus my attention on providing our customers the best experience possible. From the moment, they walk into our doors until the moment they leave it has always been my prayer that I, in some small way, have made a difference in someone’s life.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
When we opened Marylou’s we were very limited on startup funds. We opened MaryLou’s with a total investment of $14,000. We relied heavily on social marketing and to this day, social marketing and word or mouth have been the key to our reach in the community. As with most growing businesses, we struggled with making the leaps of faith to invest in remodeling, expand our staff, and upgrade equipment while trying to not incur any debt. We have had our slow spells, but have always been blessed to be able to cover our expenses.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with MaryLou’s Coffee and Sandwich Shoppe – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Through the many reviews on Facebook and Google, we have become known for the freshness of our food and the friendliness of our staff. Our coffee sales have increased steadily and people are starting to take notice of our specialty drinks and fresh baked desserts. We offer gluten-free and vegetarian options, hot panini’s and a soup of the day.
Our meats are cut on location to ensure freshness and our chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad, and pimento cheese are made fresh in house. Our coffee beans are purchased weekly from Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters in the Bishop Arts District.
Our specialty is our chicken salad and friendly service. I am most proud of the staff that works for me. They are the face of MaryLou’s and the foundation of our business. I think what sets us apart from others is our service. We want everyone to feel like family.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Growth! We would love to open another MaryLou’s that has more of a coffee shop setting. Currently we are looking for a space to lease that would allow us more room for a 2nd location. We are currently in the historic downtown area of Mansfield and we would like to open another place on the other side of town. Be on the lookout for MaryLou’s II.
Pricing:
- Our signature chicken salad, bag of chips and a drink for $8.49
- We have half of a panini and bowl of soup for $8
- Latte – $3.85
Contact Info:
- Address: 137 N. Main Street,
Mansfield, Texas 76063 - Website: www.marylous.net
- Phone: 817-473-1989
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maryloustexas/
- Twitter: MaryLousTX
