Headlands Coffeehouse is pleased to announce to you, our community, that “new” owners have taken the reins of our beloved institution! Happily, the new owners are definitely not new to Headlands… Heather Peterson has been a stalwart employee at Headlands since 2003, while Morgan Peterson, now Heather’s husband, started working full-time at Headlands in 2009. The Headlands Coffeehouse tradition of being family owned will live on!

     Headlands Coffeehouse was established in 1995 by Dave, Mary, and Peter Gealey (whose artwork graces this website). Their goal was to provide an upbeat, comfortable headquarters for delicious light fare, excellent espresso drinks, cool jazz, and… goal accomplished! The Gealeys owned Headlands until 2006, when employees Juan and Lenore Naal bought the business. Juan was the Gealeys’ first employee, working his way up from dishwasher to night manager. Lenore worked at Headlands in the summers while earning a teaching credential and continued to work summers after becoming a 4th grade teacher. When the Gealeys offered Juan and Lenore the opportunity to buy Headlands, they jumped at the chance.

     Over the years, Headlands Coffeehouse has become a major social hub in Fort Bragg. One of our favorite compliments came from Toby Lurie (a poet, painter, musician and beloved customer) who said that Headlands is “the heart and soul of Fort Bragg.” We are grateful for our community’s steadfast patronage which has made Headlands Coffeehouse the success story it is! We are confident that Heather and Morgan will continue to provide the same rich coffee drinks, delicious food, great live music, and welcoming atmosphere that have made Headlands Coffeehouse the unofficial community center of Fort Bragg!

     Like Juan and Lenore, Heather and Morgan met while working at Headlands Coffeehouse, and were wed soon after. When Heather began working at Headlands 15 years ago, she was just a kid hanging out in front of the business. Five years later, Morgan started working at Headlands, quickly becoming a valuable employee, drawing on his experiences at other coffeehouses and using his gift of a natural rapport with customers. Even before Juan and Lenore thought about selling Headlands, many customers suggested to them that Heather and Morgan would be the perfect couple to take it over one day.