Coffee-bar owner reaping dividends of mall gamble

By KRISTIN BOYD

Staff Writer
Lebanon (PA) Daily News

A few sips of cappuccino back in 1998 jolted Bonnie Azeles into a second business venture.

"I loved it," she said, beaming. "I was buzzing all the way home."

After that, Azeles wanted to create a coffee bar, but she was worried the idea wouldn't fare too well in Lebanon.

"I wanted to offer good coffee to customers while they shopped around," she said. "But I wasn't sure if people here would like all these varieties of coffee and cappuccino."

Already the owner of Extra Special, a candle-and-gift store at the Lebanon Valley Mall, she later found a solution that quelled her nerves.

The mall, located in West Lebanon Township, offers a specialty-leasing program, which gives residents like Azeles the opportunity to test their business ideas on a temporary basis.

Having that safety net was all the incentive Azeles needed.

She opened Special Perks, just two storefronts down from Extra Special, in 2002. And it didn't take long for the bar to become a popular stop for thirsty mall shoppers.

The specialty-leasing program is open to budding entrepreneurs who want to start a business, but are unsure if their idea will be a hit, mall general manager Dawn Marie Lecklikner said.

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