By LINDSAY-JO DOUGLAS
BG Independent News
For over 11 years, Grounds for Thought General Manager Monica Gonzalez has poured morning cups of coffee for countless Bowling Green residents and visitors. However, when she applied in the spring of 2015, she was new to the industry.
“I was nervous,” Gonzalez said of her interview. “I didn’t have any food experience, so I feel like I wasn’t great at the job when I first started. It took me a minute to find my flow and understand the way everything works. But once you get it, it never leaves you.”
Gonzalez proved to be a quick learner, getting promoted to a management position within two years of getting hired. She then became a general manager within two years of that promotion.
“I think the timing was right,” Gonzalez said. “[Kelly and Laura Wicks] were kind of looking for someone to run the store for them.”
Becoming a manager was also a first for Gonzalez.
“It’s the employee conversations that you have with them about their work performance that I feel like I had to get used to,” she said. “That’s something I’d never had to do before.”
“Sometimes it’s difficult to talk to people about things they can improve on,” Gonzalez continued. “But that is also super rewarding when you come at it from a place of ‘I want you to do well. Here’s what you can fully do to be successful.’ Then when you see that improvement, that’s fulfilling. So you get to watch people grow themselves, too.”
Gonzalez also cultivated relationships with regular customers.
“Dealing with people, you have all types of stuff that comes up – sometimes good, sometimes bad – but I’ll take the good and the bad,” she said. “People confide in us sometimes. It’s not like we’re people’s therapists, but sometimes people will talk to you about personal stuff that’s going on in their lives, which is meaningful to us.”
Working her last day on July 30, Gonzalez was asked what she would miss the most about working at Grounds for Thought.
“The people,” she quickly replied. “My co-workers, [the regulars], all the customers, which I told them to just call me.”
When asked what she would miss the least, Gonzalez replied, “Cleaning and plunging the bathrooms. I can say good riddance to that.”
As for Gonzalez’s next steps, they are yet to be determined.
“I’m moving to Columbus, for sure. I don’t know where I’m going to be working, but I’ll figure it out,” she said. “I’m open to anything. … I feel like I’ve cultivated so many skills working here because there are so many different things – whether you’re fixing the lights, talking to customers, scheduling, or talking to co-workers. We had a little practice at everything, but definitely multitasking.”
No matter where life takes her, Gonzalez will stay active.
“I like to be busy,” she said. “I also like a little chaos.”
Gonzalez is working her last day today, July 30, and will be at Grounds for Thought until 2:30 p.m. for those wishing to say farewell.
