Baptism by Bentley Potts: what's in a name?
It was 24 years ago in Bangkok. Phil and I were on our tea and
coffee world tour. We had just purchased
a popular Dallas coffee shop called The Coffee Mill, and we were both educating
ourselves on our products and celebrating our new careers.
We had decided to splurge when we were in Bangkok and stay
at the 135 year-old Oriental Hotel on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. A
world-class resort, we walked into their amazing lobby, and - whether by kismet
or coincidence - bumped into a gentleman dressed in black tie and tails. I
introduced myself and Phil and thus we met Bentley Potts III.
A fellow Texan in Thailand!
BPIII, as he liked to be called, had been recruited as an antiques buyer to
Dallas from California by Stanley Neiman.
Introductions turned into a conversation with a new neighbor and before
long we were telling him all about The Coffee Mill. After our return to Dallas,
BPIII visited us at our new store and declared that The Coffee Mill was clearly
not the right name for ‘two such cultured gentleman.’ And so, The Cultured Cup was born.
We’ve come a long way since those days. But we do love our roots!
We’ve come a long way since those days. But we do love our roots!
What a fantastic story! I can just visualize BPIII! Is he still alive and if so, why not have a CC tasting Room meetup with him for we CC aficionados!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, BPIII passed away about 10-12 years ago. By the way, his given name was Albert Bentley Potts III but he never wanted anybody to call him Al or Albert!!!!
DeleteRecruited by Stanley Neiman, or Stanley Marcus?
ReplyDeleteOoops! Marcus, of course:) Thanks for the catch!
ReplyDelete