BETHESDA, MD—The Bean Bag was one of the first independent “bean-coffee” shops in the Washington suburbs. Today, it’s among the few remaining.

The Wool family’s coffee shop and deli survived the decline of independent coffee houses and the arrival of Starbucks by continually adapting to its customers’ desires.

Customers visiting the Bean Bag quickly realize they are somewhere special. Proprietor Mitchell Wool recognizes most of the people waiting in line with a smile: “How are you today? ‘The Bethesdan?” (a submarine sandwich with roast beef, turkey, and pastrami on rye with Russian dressing). Almost everyone in line is a loyal customer.

The physical environment of The Bean Bag is unique, too. It’s a comfortable family-owned coffee shop and deli—clearly not a chain—a throwback to the days when Bethesda was a small town.

With the dominance of local franchises, there is something very special about enjoying delicious food and coffee served in a unique setting. “The same qualities that makes us vulnerable in the marketplace—being an independent family-owned business—makes us attractive to a number of our loyal customers,” said Wool.

The inspiration for the Bean Bag began in 1977, when Rockville residents Sam and Sandie Wool stopped inside a quaint specialty coffee/gift shop in Kennebunkport, Maine and fell in love its charm. After 20 successful years in the demanding grocery business, Sam Wool had just sold his store, M&S Market, in Southeast Washington, DC. The Wool’s were a very hardworking family; it was their first vacation in 20 years.

Sam Wool was exceptionally dedicated to his customers. Wool’s customers, in turn, were devoted to him. During the Washington, DC riots of 1968, Sam Wool’s African-American customers escorted him each day to his grocery store, so M&S Market could remain open serving customers.

In 1977, Sam Wool believed the coffee business—the sale of coffee beans, coffee makers, and other coffee paraphernalia—was going to boom. The same year, the Wools opened The Bean Bag—a retail operation with coffee, tea, and cookware—that was similar to an old fashioned five-and-dime with upscale cookware. The store’s slogan was “Coffee, Tea and Spice and Everything Nice.” All three of the Wool’s children worked in the business. Robyn Wool was 20-years-old when The Bean Bag opened in 1977, Gerri was 16-years-old, and Mitchell was 12-years-old. Mitchell and his sisters worked after school and on weekends. “Dad always wanted his family in the business,” said Mitchell Wool.

In 1979, Sam and Sandie Wool decided to expand the coffee shop into a deli. Given Sam Wool’s grocery-service background and the fact that Sandie Wool was an excellent cook, it was a natural fit. Word of mouth spread about The Bean Bag’s delicious subs and cookies. Regular morning coffee customers began appearing again at lunch.

During the mid 1980s, corporate catering as a business practice did not exist to the same extent it does today. “If I created two platters in one day, it was huge,” said Mitchell Wool. But in 1989, the Discovery Channel, Home Team Sports and corporations such as Oracle began locating in Bethesda. The Bean Bag’s corporate-catering business took off.

In 1992, the Starbucks craze began in earnest. New locations seemed to sprout like mushrooms. “We were scared out of our minds,” said Mitchell Wool.

Surprisingly, it turned out that the arrival of Starbucks was one of the best things to ever happen to The Bean Bag. “We had been developing the specialty coffee business one customer at a time,” said Wool. “When we put in our espresso bar, people were like, ‘what’s a cappuccino?’ Then, along comes Starbucks promoting the product to hundreds of thousands of people. Now, our customers began rattling off the lingo. And though Starbucks dominates the market, at the same time, they dramatically expanded the size of the market for the rest of us.”

Starbucks provided another boost for The Bean Bag’s retail operation: higher pricing. “People still say, I say it myself: ‘I can’t believe I just paid five dollars for a cup of coffee”—but we all do.”

Running a family-owned food-service operation can require grueling hours. Mitchell Wool’s typical work week runs from 90 to 120 hours. Last year, The Bean Bag’s holiday catering was in such demand that Wool worked around the clock, sleeping just five hours in his delivery van over a week’s period.

The Bean Bag’s business continues to evolve. From originally serving sandwiches and cookies, the store has expanded its corporate and private catering services to include an espresso/cappuccino bar, dessert bar, barbecue, crab feast, fajita bar, lobster feasts and more.

But The Bean Bag’s commitment to providing the highest level of customer service is stronger than ever. “We began offering crab feasts because a client called up and asked if we could do it. He said, ‘I know you can do it.’ I took a weekend and had a crab feast party with my friends—everyone loved it. Then, we rolled it out for our client,” said Mitchell Wool.

The Bean Bag is actively involved in supporting the local community. The store donates meals to The Children’s Inn at NIH, handles food service for The Big Train in Bethesda, provided refreshments for the Bethesda Chamber of Commerce’s Strutt Your Mutt event, is a member of the Bethesda Bridal and Event Group, and makes a variety of other community contributions.

Today, celebrating its 30th anniversary, The Bean Bag continues it commitment to the highest level of customer service and the highest quality cuisine.