Are “Sexy” Baristas Now Serving Woodinville? Owner Says No

When economic times get tough, sometimes a barista needs to show some skin, according to coffee stand owner, Jovanna Edge who operates the Java Girls (formerly ) in Woodinville. In an interview with Woodinville Patch Wednesday morning, Edge was quick to put a stop to rumors that her baristas at the stand in Woodinville’s Tourist District were wearing lingerie.

“They did wear costumes for a short time, but we stopped yesterday,” Edge said. “And they never wore lingerie, it was tube tops and short shorts.”

That’s not how the barista’s outfit was describe to the Woodinville City Council at Tuesday night’s meeting when resident Monica Keating complained about the coffee stand’s new barista attire.

The women working in the stand were wearing “leopard print, skimpy lingerie that borders on indecent,” according to Monica Keating about the “hot barista” coffee stand. The stand, at 14575 148th Ave NE, is in the Apple Farm Village retail center in the heart of the city’s wine tourist district.

Jack Gunderson, owner of the Jack’s Used Equipment which is adjacent to the stand, said Tuesday night he objected to the sandwich board signs that read, “hot barista” and had an illustration of red lips. “I’ve always let them have their sign on my property but if they don’t change it, I’ll remove it,” he said.

A check by Patch at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 11, found the sign changed and the barista wearing jeans and a hoody, and standing close to the portable heater to take the edge off the 30 degree temperature outside.

Edge didn’t want to say why she dropped the “costumed” barista from the Woodinville stand (her coffee stand in Monroe continues to have baristas in skimpy, cowgirl costumes, her stand is Redmond is family friendly), but accurately pointed out that she was not breaking any laws. Woodinville does not have any ordinances regarding scantily-clad baristas.

“I’m just a girl who owns coffee stands and is trying to come up with very expensive rent in a bad economy,” she said. “People skewed things, it’s crazy.”