When she decided to open her own business, Danna Kienzl, 57, returned to her hometown.

The Freeport Area graduate opened her new cafe, The Coffee Cup, along South Pike Road in her native Buffalo Township late last month.

Now a resident of Lower Burrell, Kienzl said she always has aspired to own a business, but she wasn’t sure what industry she’d pursue.

After a career spent mostly in accounting, she began working as a manager at Tarentum’s Harvest Moon Coffee & Chocolates, which showed her the ins and outs of the coffee business.

Eventually, she decided to set out on her own.

“I found a place out here. It’s perfect because it’s right where I always wanted to be,” she said. “It was a ‘dream come true’ kind of thing.”

The business is a family affair.

Kienzl called her daughter, Shaylin Marinelli, 23, her “silent co-partner.”

A recent IUP graduate, Marinelli works as a barista at The Coffee Cup. But she’s also putting her marketing degree to use on the cafe’s various social media accounts.

The construction process, Marinelli said, was “crazy,” but she’s happy to see her mother finally have a business of her own.

The shop sits at the former site of the La Vigneta Winery’s tasting room, which reopened Friday at its new location on North Pike Road.

At the cafe, Kienzl serves coffee roasted by Steel Cup Coffee Roasters and baked goods from Wildflower Bakery, both of New Kensington.

She personally taste-tested each of the recipes and said that, a month in, the shop has maintained a steady stream of customers.

“The customers seem to be loving what they get, and we’re proud of that,” Kienzl said.

A manager at Steel Cup, Abby Laliberte, said the company has a longtime relationship with Kienzl.

Laliberte said she’s glad The Coffee Cup has allowed nearby residents access to specialty, organic coffee. Plus, she said, the interior of the shop is just a “cozy” spot to hang out.

“They’re definitely a good thing for the community,” Laliberte said.

Within the next several years, Kienzl hopes to take more of a backseat role in the business as she settles into retirement. She plans to eventually pass down the shop to Marinelli, who said she’s ready to meet that challenge.

For now, the new business owner said she’s simply glad to provide a space for the community in her hometown.

“It’s just something about a coffee shop,” Kienzl said. “I always wanted to have a place where people could come to sit and relax and talk to friends.”

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