By Lorrie DeFrank
Nancy Ruth Barber lives her dream every day in a yellow beach house.
“It’s a community that brings people of all ages together. Everyone is comfortable here and that’s what I was going for,” she said of Breezy Coffee Shop Wine Bar that she opened in Jacksonville Beach in 2011, recalling an elderly woman who came in after daily Mass and became chummy with a bikini-clad girl who rolled up on a skateboard.
Barber, 62, delights in providing a place that fosters camaraderie, especially for older adults. “They can feel comfortable coming in by themselves to have a cup of coffee, glass of wine, lunch or whatever,” she said. “When we do dinner on Friday nights we have about eight seniors bellied up to the bar. They’re all friends now and have each others’ backs.”
She maintains that staying active and having a network of supportive friends keeps you young.
“Today is ‘someday.’ Live life now,” she said, sharing the untimely death at 74 of her friend Karin Tucker, co-founder of Biscotti’s and bb’s restaurants, as an example. “She always had that glorious smile and took on any adventure that came her way.”
Barber had no thoughts of owning a restaurant while growing up in Dallas. She moved to Atlanta as a teen, went to the University of Georgia, got married and moved to Jacksonville 36 years ago. Divorced, she has two daughters, a son and a granddaughter.
A media analyst with a degree in journalism, she worked for a small newspaper in Atlanta, then in public broadcasting and commercial television after moving to Florida. She worked in sales and management before starting her own advertising agency. Meanwhile, the idea of opening a coffee shop had been percolating. “This is it! I can make this work!” Barber recalled thinking when her ad job took her to a meeting in a two-story house on Third Street South. “I went across the street and wrote out a business plan and 15 years later, we’re still here.”
Breezy, named after her family’s happy summers at Breezy Point, Long Island, took over the first floor until January 2020 when Barber started leasing the whole building to cater parties upstairs.
Barber seldom slows down at play or work, where she does it all—cooking, baking, serving, purchasing, dishwashing, accounting and more. A beach-themed breakfast and lunch restaurant decorated with photos and caricatures of customers, Breezy offers baked goods, pita sandwiches, salads, café drinks and more. It stays open for happy hour and dinner on Fridays when Barber serves gourmet selections and her acclaimed Peruvian chicken pizza.
“She is the perfect host. She is so friendly and remembers everyone who comes in,” said longtime customer Bina Patel, 78, who helps Barber prepare such dishes as butter chicken, sauteed okra and basmati rice for Breezy’s occasional Indian night. When Patel, who is from India, learned of Barber’s desire to learn to cook Indian food she invited her home to teach her how.
“Nancy is a real gem. She cares about people and it shows,’ said Evan Jones, 75, who often rides his bike a few miles to Breezy.
Jacksonville Beach City Councilman John Wagner, 59, calls Breezy “the heartbeat of the community.” He frequently meets people there because of its warm, comfortable beach style and to support a local business. Wagner said Breezy is also a place to find government, political and business leaders he admires, like Richard Bowers and Richard “Dick” Brown, who Barber remembers chatting with customers about issues to discuss on their former radio talk show, Salt Air.
For the past decade, Bowers, Brown and retired Beaches florist Harry Schnabel met at Breezy twice a week. Well into their 80s, they call themselves The Board and reminisce about their long-gone youth and solve the world’s problems. “The beauty of The Board is that they are on opposite sides of the political spectrum but are always respectful,” Barber said.
Barber attributes her positive attitude to staying active and always looking for the good in people. “I love life. I love people. I love food. I love all the things about Breezy,” she said. “Having been here this long, now I can’t see myself not being here.”
