A steady stream of people of all ages and backgrounds visit CREAM café in the Sunlight Building at 48 Franklin St. in downtown Norwich Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.

The gray, bone-chilling weather of one mid-January day is forgotten once inside this welcoming space bathed in a turquoise-colored décor with hardwood floors and soft music playing in the background.

Wooden pallets and pillows serve as the back rest for visitors who chat across café tables with friends and families seated in chairs. Murals of Charlie Brown/Peppermint Patty, a young woman wearing headphones and a large cup of coffee adorn the walls.

On the opposite side of the room, snacks (including cups of gluten-free oatmeal, pretzels, chips and granola bars), fruit, water and juices line the wall.

At the far end, co-owners and sisters-in-law Jessica Persad and Kari Herndon fill requests for hot-and-cold coffees or teas — often knowing what their regulars want before they ask.

Their menu includes lattes, cappuccino, macchiato, Americano and mochas, among others. In addition to a variety of flavors such as vanilla, almond, caramel, pumpkin, chocolate and hazelnut, customers can request almond, oat, macadamia nut, soy or coconut milk instead of cow’s milk. They also serve hot cocoa and iced Vietnamese coffee and Thai tea.

On this day, indulgent food choices included cinnamon rolls, croissants, muffins, danishes, scones and zucchini bread, which are mainly delivered from Village Bakery in Plainfield.

Tattoo Artist Tiffany Roman stopped by for the first time for a casual business meeting and said she could see having future meetings at the cafe.

“I came here because they’re open up at the right times that I want and it had the right vibe,” Roman said. Roman at the time had been spending a great deal of time on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and CREAM reminds her of some of the coffee shops there.

She added that the cafe is “really cute” and she likes “the clean, relaxed, welcoming setting” and wall mural of the woman.

Regular Kyle Dixon, who manages Cricket Wireless nearby, said he stops by about five times weekly. “The environment’s really nice. The coffee is fantastic. It’s handmade. Owners are very polite. It’s quality products and great customer service. It feels good that it’s a mom-and-pop shop too.”

CREAM’s coffee is purchased locally from Craftsman Cliff Roasters on Broadway in Norwich and their tea is from INI Sips of New Britain, a veteran/minority-owned company.

“We try to make it really inviting, real welcoming. We’re here for the community. Without them, we wouldn’t have a business,” said Persad, adding that business “has been pretty great,” and there is a fair amount of foot traffic since they opened in 2021.

Many of their customers are from Norwich City Hall, the probation department, courthouse and Department of Children and Family, as well as Norwich Fitness Center and entrepreneurs at Foundry 66 and the Sunlight Building.

“The community is very welcoming. I think they were looking forward to a spot where we could kind of come together where they can meet people,” said Persad, adding that many people hold casual meetings at the café and occasionally coffee shop hobbyists stop by.

“There’s just so much to Norwich. There’s so much potential. And Kari and I are just so happy to be part of some type of revival project in Norwich.”

Even though they try to give everyone their privacy, Persad said they can tell when a couple is on their first or second date. “It’s really cute.”

Before heading to court, Hartford Attorney Matthew Sorokin said he always Googles local coffee shops. That’s how he found CREAM in January, which he said he will definitely visit again when he is in Norwich.

In addition to enjoying the café’s ambience, he said the coffee tastes much better than chain shops and he enjoys supporting local businesses.

After locating CREAM cafe on Google Maps while visiting a friend nearby, newcomer Daina Tennant of Norwich stopped by with her mother, Kathleen.

“I walked in and I thought it was like beautifully done, really cozy. I love the (built-in) couch. It has a very welcoming, comforting vibe,” she said, adding that the owners are “super, super sweet.”

Before the mother/daughter duo walked out with zucchini bread and a cinnamon roll, Kathleen said the cafe is “very quaint but in a modern way. I like the artist’s renditions on the wall. Somebody did a very nice job with that.”

Persad credits Herndon for the café’s decor and building the wooden countertops, ornamental front “piping,” benches, tables and seat cushions. (The color scheme of what looks like turquoise with overhead lighting is actually green – matching small cups on their back wall – perfect size for espresso coffee.)

She also helped when pressed into action, she said, laughing. Persad added that her twin cousins Sarah and Sandra Albus, who are nurses, along with her other cousins, Thricia Idioma and Leanne and Leah Lopez, helped create the murals.

Herndon said they are thankful to her husband, Joe’s friend, Zecharia Stover, for helping them get the place up and running, doing everything from building frames for plants to fixing anything that broke down.

The co-owners have much in common. The Niantic residents are both nurses – Herndon at Yale New Haven Hospital and Persad for the State of Connecticut (however, she has currently been on active duty with the Connecticut Air National Guard since September 2021, because of COVID).

Inspiration for CREAM grew out of the pandemic, Persad said.

“We just started talking about stuff we like to do” besides nursing that is less stressful, considering “the way that some nurses are being treated and the shortage.”

Then, after returning from a European trip with her husband, she said Herndon gave her an espresso machine, because she had been talking about it.

“So we just kind of played around on it a lot. And it was just something in the back of our mind.”

It was Herndon’s husband Joe of American Stich Lab (formerly in the Sunlight Building) who gave them “a little bit of a push” to make it come to fruition, Persad said.

Agreeing that it’s nice to have something to fall back on now and in the future, Herndon said CREAM is a destressor. “COVID is really hard in the hospital.”

Persad added, “Nursing is enjoyable. It’s just a different level of stress relief.”

Finishing each other’s sentences, the co-owners said they are already thinking of future plans, which include offering sandwiches (including paninis) at some point after receiving input from customers and applying to the state department of health. Also, in addition to leaving café tables on the sidewalk year round on nice days, they plan to apply to the City of Norwich for patio space on the street.

They are also thinking of opening a second CREAM location or just putting “more energy and time into” the Franklin Street location.

“We have great employees as well who have helped us. If we want to expand, they would go with us,” Persad said.

Looking outside at the misty weather, Persad said, smiling optimistically, “Perfect for coffee.”

Laughing, Herndon added, “Any day is perfect for coffee.”

CREAM can be viewed on Instagram: @creamcoffee_CT and on Facebook: Cream Coffee LLC.

Jan Tormay, a longtime Norwich resident, now lives in Westerly.