A person entering the front door to Calypso's Coffee & Creamery is first met with the ambient sounds of a thriving coffee house.

The thrum of voices engaged in multiple conversations — blended and unintelligible, yet lively — is layered with the occasional clink of a spoon on a cup or the hum of milk being steamed by a barista.

At Calypso's, 116 Lakeside Ave. in Coeur d'Alene, that buzz is just one part of the experience created by husband-and-wife owners Todd and Maria-Cristina Jenicek.

It's obvious the Jeniceks have accomplished, on a smaller scale, what Starbucks founder and ex-CEO Howard Schultz strived for. In the early '80s when Schultz began creating what would become a Fortune 500 company with revenue of $21.3 billion and $2.8 billion in profit last year, he envisioned coffee stores that served as a “third place,” a location that is not home or work, but is just as much a regular part of a person's life.

“I've had people coming into Calypso's say, 'It's like walking into a big living room,'” Todd said. “We love that.”

Original, local art lines the walls of the shop that is filled with well-used table-and-chair sets that don't match but create a homey, hip, vintage vibe.

Similarly, big comfy couches, chairs and tables line one wall of the store, with colorful curtains hanging between cozy conversation spots.

Beyond the visually captivating effect of the curtains, the drapes add a perceived element of privacy to each sitting area.

“It was enough of a separation to make people feel comfortable,” Todd said.

And casual and comfortable is the goal at Calypso's.

With a play area for the youngest guests, parents can have adult conversations while their kiddos are kept busy.

The shop's patrons represent a broad segment of the community, so much so, Todd said, that it's been hard to do what business advisers say entrepreneurs must do to be successful: identify their customer-base.

“We've never been able to figure that out,” Todd said. “Our clientele is so diverse during the day. You might have what I call a 'granola mom' with five or six kids, and they might be sitting next to men in three-piece suits doing a major business deal.”

But what the Jeniceks have done has been working well for them. They managed to take over a struggling business in the midst of one of the sharpest economic declines in U.S. history, and turn it into a successful, sustainable enterprise.

Now in its 10th year, the Jeniceks purchased Calypso's in 2010 from their friend who opened the shop in 2007. She had two young children and a husband who was stationed out-of-state. The economy had taken its downturn and the place was struggling.

Todd, a Harrison native who was an accounting major in college and worked as a business consultant, was advising his friend during that time. He and Maria-Cristina had no intention of buying the place.

“I don't know if you're a spiritual person or not, but God woke me up three nights in a row, at 3 a.m., and told me to put an offer in,” Todd said.

That was on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Todd contacted his friend Friday morning.

“This feels weird, but it's supposed to be us to buy it,” he told her.

The paperwork was signed and sealed by the following Monday.

With the economy slumping, they bought Calypso's as a hobby, a business with flexible hours.

Then the economic crash took a greater toll. Todd was laid off from the regular job he held at the time, and the couple lost everything, including their home of 20-plus years where they had raised their children.

But they clung to Calypso's.

“It was just debt to the bank,” Todd said.

For their first four years, every penny went right back into the business. They survived on the compensation Maria-Cristina receives from another job, with Specialized Needs Recreation.

“She's been an anchor for us,” Todd said.

While Todd handles the overall management of Calypso's, Maria-Cristina handles the shop's web page and organizes the musicians, the entertainment that is an integral part of the Calypso's business model.

“We love the arts and entertainment industry, and we love supporting people who have gifts,” Todd said.

They invite performers to use the shop as a venue. A sound-system is available, but artists are expected to do their own promotion and these are not pay-to-play gigs.

“Our open mic night has gone crazy,” Todd said.

From 6 to 8:30 p.m. each Monday, musicians, comedians and poets can take a turn at the microphone. Sign-ups begin at 5:30 p.m.

“And we have so many local good artists that we've seen rise above,” Todd said.

The artists whose works have adorned the walls of Calypso's are as varied as the clientele, with ages ranging from 3 to 86.

Calypso's works to support local nonprofits as well, letting them use the shop as a venue for fundraisers where the groups bring in their own entertainment.

That's another move that's been good for business.

“That brought a lot of local people downtown who weren't coming in,” he said.

They also get their name out by donating baskets to various fundraising events.

“Support your community, and they will support you,” Todd said.

And of course, there's the coffee, which is roasted right at the store and shipped to customers all over the U.S. and Canada.

“We don't roast our coffee as much as most do,” Todd said.

Their brew has a lighter taste that appeals to coffee drinkers who don't care for a darker roast, he said.

After those years of not taking any compensation from the business, Todd and Maria-Cristina are now able to take the occasional vacation.

They attribute that to their crew.

“We're able to take a weekend here and there and not worry about how it's going to be run, or how it's going to do,” Maria-Cristina said.

This is an area where quality-of-life sometimes trumps the bottom line for everyone at Calypso's, including the Jeniceks' employees.

Sometimes you have to pay a little more, Todd said.

“If you don't treat your staff the way they need to be treated and the way they deserve, you're not going to make it,” Maria-Cristina said. “That's who makes this place, to be honest. If we didn't have the staff we have right now, we would not make it. We've been blessed through the years with really good people.”

With all the competition in the industry, the Jeniceks are grateful for where they are today.

Maria-Cristina said she would like to see them expand some day. She said she thinks their name is well-known enough to support another location.

The trick would be to recreate the same vibe, Todd said.

“We want to have a great product, but at Calypso's, the environment is just as important,” Todd said.

He has heard there are more coffee shops planning to open in downtown Coeur d'Alene.

“We'll see if the economy and the public can support all the coffee shops in the vicinity because there are like four or five of us within an eight-block radius,” he said.

He noted that 80 percent of new restaurants close within the first two years.

But for today, more than seven years after the Jeniceks took it over, Calypso's is on a stable, forward course.

“And I hope it remains steady,” Todd said.