Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Nichols.
Hi Andrea, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve spent most of my career in real estate, primarily in operations, management, and customer service. I really enjoyed what I was doing, but for a while I’d been thinking about starting my own business. The only problem was, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do!
Then one day I came across a post on Instagram about CuppaPug, a pug café that was started in London by my now-business partner, Aaron. I practically fell out of my chair! I’ve always been a huge animal lover, and here was a business that combined spending time with adorable pugs with helping rescue, rehabilitate, and find homes for pugs in need. It was pretty much everything I loved rolled into one.
So I did what anyone would do (or maybe not!) and sent Aaron a message on Instagram. To my surprise, he responded pretty quickly! They already had a café in San Diego, another one in the works in Frisco, Texas, and were interested in expanding into Florida. We started with a Zoom call, and over the course of about a year, one thing led to another, and here we are! Aaron and I have developed a great relationship, and I even spent a week in London learning the ins and outs of the business, which was an amazing experience.
I really think Jacksonville is the perfect place for CuppaPug. We’re such an animal-loving community, and there’s really nothing else like it around here. I love the idea of creating a place where people can come, have fun, get their pug fix, and know they’re also supporting something meaningful.
I won’t lie, walking away from a steady paycheck and benefits to start something completely new has been a little terrifying! But I’ve always loved working with people, and animals have always been my passion, so getting to combine the two feels pretty special. I have two kids, and I’ve already recruited both of them as volunteers, so I guess you could say it’s becoming a family affair whether they like it or not!
It’s definitely been a learning experience, with plenty of ups and downs, but I’m so excited to see CuppaPug come to life in Jacksonville. Sometimes you just have to take a chance and see where it leads!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth road? Not even close! I think I was probably a little naive going into this whole process. I knew opening a business would be challenging, but I had no idea just how many moving parts there would be!
One of the biggest challenges has been that CuppaPug isn’t your typical business. We’re bringing the first dog café of its kind to Florida, so Jacksonville has never really dealt with anything quite like us before. We’re part café, part animal experience, with a rescue component as well, which means we’ve had to navigate a lot of different regulations and requirements. In many ways, the city has been learning right along with us, and understandably, that’s led to some delays.
The hardest part for me has definitely been the uncertainty. I’m a planner by nature, and not being able to tell people when we’re going to open has been incredibly frustrating. Just when I think we’re getting close, something else comes up that pushes the timeline back. I’ve learned more about building codes, fire-rated walls, and permitting than I ever wanted to know!
That said, I’ve never really questioned whether I wanted to keep going. I believe in what we’re creating, and I’m excited to bring something so different to Jacksonville. I’ve learned an incredible amount through this process, and if we decide to open more cafés down the road, I’ll certainly be going into those projects with a whole lot more knowledge!
If nothing else, this experience has taught me patience, flexibility, and that when someone gives you an estimated opening date, you should probably take it with a grain of salt!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’ve spent most of my professional career with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Network Realty here in Jacksonville. I started out as a Realtor and spent about five years in sales before moving into operations and management. My responsibilities have covered a little bit of everything over the years, including renovations, lease and vendor management, overseeing our call center, accounting and financial reporting, and serving as a liaison on legal matters. It’s given me a lot of experience in problem-solving, managing projects, and working with all kinds of people. Looking back, I think it was pretty good preparation for opening my own business, although I’m not sure anything could have completely prepared me for this adventure!
Now, instead of working with real estate agents, I’ll be working with pugs, which might actually be a little easier! Although I guess we’ll see about that.
What makes CuppaPug so special to me is that it’s not just about creating a fun experience for people. We also have a real opportunity to make a difference in the lives of animals. Our official rescue partner is Pug Rescue of Florida and Georgia, and they’re a huge part of our mission. We’ll have adoptable pugs at the café that guests can meet, cuddle, and hopefully fall in love with. A portion of every booking will go directly to the rescue, and we’ll also have a dedicated section in our retail area for their merchandise.
Beyond that, we’ll be actively involved in helping with rescue transports and fostering. In fact, just last week I drove to Orlando to pick up a surrendered pug, and he’s currently living with me as a foster. So I guess you could say I’ve already started my new job!
One of our biggest hopes is that CuppaPug will help raise awareness about the breed and the importance of rescue and adoption. We’ve seen at the other CuppaPug locations that introducing people to these wonderful dogs can lead to more adoptions, and we’d love to see that happen here in Jacksonville.
I think what I’m most proud of is being able to take everything I’ve learned throughout my career and use it to build something that combines my love of animals with my love of working with people. I want CuppaPug to be a place where people come to have fun, leave with a smile, and know that their visit is helping make a difference. And if a few of them end up going home with a new four-legged family member, even better!
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Well, for starters, I share my home with four pugs, a Bernese Mountain Dog, and four cats. So yes, I’m officially that crazy animal lady! I’m pretty sure I could start a side business making pillows out of all the fur I vacuum up every day!
Something people might not know is that I played the saxophone in high school and college and was actually the drum major of my high school marching band. I also played competitive tennis when I was younger, so my life wasn’t always quite so focused on animals!
I’ve even had a little business venture before. When my kids were young, a friend and I started a craft business called Artsy Additions, making personalized children’s furniture and gifts. It was mostly for fun, but I guess the entrepreneurial bug has been there for a while!
And now I’ve gone from keeping a marching band in line to trying to keep a room full of pugs in line. I’m not sure which will be harder!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cuppapug.com/
- Instagram: @cuppapug
- Facebook: @cuppapug
- Other: https://www.cuppapug.com/coming-soon/florida
