Green Bean Chef, Co-Owner Moves On

returns from the long Labor Day weekend without one of its two original owners.

Brian Storey sold his half of the Gladwyne business to partner Tammin Kim, putting in his last day of work Thursday, Aug. 30. He's now planning his next business venture while preparing for the busy fall catering season.

Storey, a chef, and Kim, a manager, met when they worked together at Nectar in Berwyn.

They realized they shared the common goal of wanting to start their own business, and with limited resources and budget, they decided a coffee shop/cafe made the most sense.

They looked in a number of other locations, including Doylestown and Philadelphia neighborhoods when they took a drive through Gladwyne. The space that now houses Green Bean had been vacant for two years, Storey said.

The cafe started off in June 2010 offering coffee, espresso and gelato and now offers more substantial sandwiches, salads and soups. Kim also eventually wants to add dinners.

"The whole purpose was to not only prove to ourselves that we could own and operate a successful business, but also was a platform to grow in the future," Storey said. "It got our name out, and a lot more people know us now."

It's also a business opportunity that will be better for a sole owner, he said, adding the timing was right. Storey's catering requests increase in the fall, and he needs to take some time to plan his next business endeavor. Business at Green Bean also ticks upward coming out of summer.

Kim said there will be new challenges as sole owner but that it should be fun and exciting, too.

"We wish him the best of luck," Kim said of Storey. "He has this opportunity he can’t really pass up. We started this thing as a business but also as a jump-off to other opportunities."

There have been a number of highlights for Storey: from serving free lemonade and hot coffee at the Gladwyne Memorial Day parade three years ago, before they even opened, to operating a full barbecue tent at the most recent Memorial Day parade, to winning a Best of the Main Line award, to appearing on the NBC 10! Show.

"It really was a lot of fun opening a business and watching it grow—it's exciting," Storey said. "And it will definitely be weird the first time I wake up and go to a coffee shop at 8 a.m. for a cup of coffee. I can't wait to be a patron of Green Bean for years to come."