Jesse Vargas - Founder of Coffey Park Greetings, LLC

The Mind of an Urban Entrepreneur

My mantra since 2003 has been “Create The Door So Opportunity Could Knock”.

african american kiosk business — Jesse Vargas – Founder of Coffey Park Greetings

My story begins back in 2002 when I wanted to have a business-any business. I just wanted to embrace being an entrepreneur. I grew up in Brooklyn, New York in the public housing projects called Red Hook. After moving to Alexandria, Virginia in 2000 I began to think about starting a business. It would be another three years until I got the courage become an entrepreneur. In 2003, I started CoffeyParkGreetings.com in hopes of being the “next best thing since sliced bread.”

While working at a printing company and seeing the company create stationery products for businesses around the Washington, D.C. area, I thought about starting a business that sold greeting cards. Not your usual Hallmark greeting cards, but urban themed greeting cards that catered to people that lived in popular urban cities.

I assumed that urban greeting cards would not be a hard obstacle to bring to the stationery market. I started my business in November of 2003 after doing a year of due diligence. I went to the Black Expo in Washington, D.C, The Stationery Show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center and as many conventions and stationery shows as I could. After a year of research, and a visit to the Hong Kong Gift Show (yes, I went to Hong Kong for a gifts show) I had my urban greeting cards manufactured.

As an entrepreneur I honed my skills in a variety of areas. I went from designing greeting cards for my online business to digitally formatting them for the printing company. I ended up learning just a bit of HTML and revamped my website altogether. I also learned how to optimize my website to earn money through online marketing, affiliate programs, Google Adsense and other simple but effective marketing techniques.

It was the experience from 2003-2007 that led me to do web design. I currently maintain a couple of websites. One in particular is this website, CoffeyParkGreetings.com. This website is still up and running since 2003. It’s like my baby. I can’t let go! I don’t think I’ll ever give up my dream of having an Urban Hallmark Store.