Thursday, June 4, 2009

After Wall Street, Alum finds drive in coffee biz (Duke University Chronicle Newspaper)

By: Julius Jones

When Dorian Bolden, Trinity '02, graduated from Duke, his future seemed promising. Degree in tow, Bolden headed to Wall Street and started his dream job at Bank of America, working in investment banking.

For two years, Bolden, the kid from the ATL, was living the life. Everything was great until a pair of unforeseen events in 2004-the death of his father and a merger by his employer-triggered a series of events that have led him back to the Bull City. Bolden left Wall Street and spent three years working in coffee houses and restaurants, hoping to find his passion instead of simply a career.

Bolden has returned to Durham ready to fulfill his dream of owning a coffee shop, Beyu Caffe. The "Caffe" shop, which will be located on Main Street, has a target opening date of September.

"After my father died and with everything that was going on at work, I was going through a rough period," Bolden said, reflecting on the origin of the shop's name. "When I was deciding what I wanted to do moving forward, my roommates would come to me and say 'be yourself' or 'be you,' so that is where the name comes from."

He added that the name is also his special homage to coffee and to the love of espresso he gained at an Italian coffee shop in New York City, called Si Caffe or "Yes Coffee."

Bill Kalkhof, president of Downtown Durham, Inc., said Beyu Caffe will join a long list of business and entertainment options downtown.

Both Kalkhof and Bolden said they hope Beyu Caffe will encourage students to come downtown and become more familiar with the city in which they live.

"With Beyu Caffe we are creating an atmosphere that we hope that Duke students will find attractive and exciting to come to," Kalkhof said. "You couldn't have said that seven years ago but you can say that now."

Bolden came back to Durham in 2005 because his girlfriend, now his wife, was in the city studying medicine. Originally, Bolden planned to move back to his home in Atlanta, but as he began doing research for his business proposal, he realized that Durham was the perfect place.

Even before returning to Durham, Bolden was confident he wanted to go into business for himself after watching his mentors at Bank of America, who were laid off as a result of the merger, begin their own businesses.

For three years, Bolden jumped from job to job, working everywhere from a coffee shop to a French restaurant, of which he became manager and learned the intricacies of running a restaurant. Along with the skills he had gained, Bolden's background in finance helped him in raising capital.

Bolden credits his Duke education, however, with increasing his management skills and discipline.

"It's so amazing how my Duke education prepared me for opening my business," Bolden said. "You never really realize how balancing school and organizations and working late into the night will help you as you try to manage your life."

Bolden said his Duke experience, however, left him unfamiliar with the city he now calls home.

"I did not see myself ever coming back to Durham," he recalled. "At Duke, we don't normally venture out into Durham. We might go to Ninth Street or Brightleaf [Square] on the other side, we might go to Erwin [Road], but that's about as far as we go."

The multicultural nature of Durham appealed to Bolden, who attended an all-black high school. Disappointed by the culture at Duke where students too often did not interact with their peers from differernt backgrounds, Bolden wanted to create a place where you, his customer, can be yourself-or Beyu.

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