We’re looking forward to introducing you to Hannah Josselyn. Check out our conversation below.
Hannah, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
I am at the coffee shop ALOT now that both of my daughters are in school. And everyday someone will come up to me or one of my employees and just talk about how special Reverie is or what it means to them and how they really admire the space we have created. That means the world to me and thats when I feel the most proud of myself. As a business owner the business is truly an extension of the person you are so it really means alot to hear those kind words.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Hannah I am a mother to my daughters Maeven and Lucille and I also own Reverie Coffee House in Brunswick, Maine! I grew up in Vermont! My husband and I did 5 years in Texas because deciding to move closer to family so we decided on Maine almost 6 years ago!
Reverie has been open as a brick and mortar for almost 2 years now but started out as a converted horse trailer back in the summer of 2023. I wanted a coffee shop that would make anyone who walked through our door to feel safe and welcome and I feel like we have achieved that! A place that felt homey and somewhere people could settle in, read a book, do work or meet with a friend. 90% of what we offer is Maine made! We have a small market space full of local, female made goods such as ceramics, stickers, cards, tinctures and books! Our 500 square space is small but mighty. I work with 4 wonderful local bakers who deliver baked goods every morning, fresh since we dont have the space to do our own. We pride ourselves on human connection first, coffee second. We use coffee as our vessel to connect people and do our best to put out positive energy out so anyone who comes in can carry that with them onto others!
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My husband Dylan. I have been with him for 12 years and he is the reason I opened up Reverie. He always said I was too good of an employee to be an employee. When I second guess myself or doubt myself he is there to hold space and to pick me up! I feel like I can do anything because he is by my side! To feel so supported everyday I feel like that is a big reason I can keep going even if Im exhausted or doubting myself.
What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
So back in February 2025 we opened a second location. It wasnt the best location but our landlords offered us a really good deal we felt like we couldn’t pass on. It was 1500 square feet so coming from a 500 square foot space to that was huge. We wanted to hold more community events and gatherings so we felt like that could give us that. But after a few months and not seeing any growth I made the tough decision to close it. I feel like failing is a really harsh word, I don’t feel like I failed, I learned! Even though I felt so fortunate because not one ounce of me felt like a failure for having to close that location. I felt like I learned so much, made so many mistakes as a business owner but also as a person. I felt like I gained the confidence to stand my ground, know my worth & put all of me into the Brunswick location which has been doing so unbelievably well. Working through all of the things that come with putting your all into something and then not having it work out the way you plan but having to shift, I wouldn’t have changed that for anything!
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
This is a really good question and I can say with total confidence that yes the public version that people see especially at Reverie is the real me! I think sometimes in hospitality theres definitely an energy that you have to put out and it may not be how you are feeling that day but theres still a realness to it. You appreciate people and your interactions with them even on your toughest personal days! Reverie is such a happy place for me and even though I may be having a hard day the energy of the space, the new faces, the regulars all the things that happen throughout the day brings so much joy to me. I also feel like we don’t have time to waste on being someone we aren’t. I recently went through a miscarriage, I actually started miscarrying while at work and it was over a month of going through this and it was definitely hard to smile at times but I still felt like I brought the real me out in conversations with people and staying busy at the shop helped.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
When I am with my family (my daughters and husband) and they are all interacting and don’t know that I am watching them. Like last night he was playing soccer with them which was also special because I grew up playing soccer. They were giggling & running around and in that moment nothing else mattered & I felt more present than ever before!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.reveriecoffeehouses.com/
- Instagram: @reverie.coffeehouse
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