The Rose of downtown Renton wins Best Customer Service

Of the three awards The Rose Gift House and Coffee was up for at this year’s Best of Renton (Best Coffee Shop, Best Gift Shop and Best Customer Service) the most coveted is perhaps Best Customer Service — definitive proof that one’s business has that special charm and attention to amenity that makes it easy for customers to return time and time again.

During a roughly one hour interview with owner Katie Newman, it became obvious to this reporter why The Rose is now the reigning Best Customer Service winner.

During our interview, there was a quick pause so that Newman (who was running the café solo that afternoon) could serve up an order for a customer from New York, who said that he was just driving through and a quick Google search brought him to The Rose.

While the two chatted, it was evident that Newman was a professional at casual and easy-going conversation and connecting with people — making a great cup of coffee was just a bonus.

“I thought I was not doing enough. It was just like I was very unfulfilled in ways,” Newman said of the time leading up to the opening of The Rose in October 2020. “I grew up doing a lot of community service and a lot of community building work so, when I was working at Liberty Café and working at 8-Bit Arcade Bar, it was great because I got to meet council members, I got to see people of all walks of life, got to interact with them, and coffee is really cool because of that. It’s a low ticket item, so it’s not necessarily something that only rich people do or only people without jobs. It kind of crosses a lot of barriers.”

Community is important for Newman, who incorporates downtown Renton into the menu, with lavender in the Sequim Special drink (white chocolate mocha with a hint of lavender and blackberry) coming from 4 Sisters down the street and the 3rd Street Vanilla Latte drink being inspired by former Liberty co-owner Mike Mosowitz.

In the beginning, The Rose had a bigger focus on being a gift shop, allowing Newman to partner with local artists and artisans like Yardia or Art By Ciara, to sell their creative wares.

“My family is so heavy in art and commercial art so I’ve grown up with such a deep appreciation for it,” said Newman. “I wanted to provide it as an opportunity for our local artists to be able to engage the public and also for the public to just be exposed to art.”

The Rose Gift House and Coffee is located at 226 Main Avenue South in Suite B, and is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit therose.coffee.

Katie Newman of The Rose Gift House and Coffee celebrating her Best Customer Service award in this year’s Best of Renton contest. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing