Coffee shop gets surprise visit from the first lady

By Brian Nordli

Tuesday, June 19, 2012 | 8:44 p.m.

Before first lady Michelle Obama fired up a crowd of more than 1,000 supporters and before she approached the podium at the Henderson Convention Center, she went to Sunrise Coffee.

The stop bewildered store Manager Ria Farmer. It had been a pretty slow Tuesday, with only a few customers trickling in and out. She didn’t even know Obama was going to be in town, let alone why she’d come to Sunrise Coffee, located at 3130 E. Sunset Road. Yet, at 3:30, 15 minutes before Obama's arrival, Farmer was told she’d be having an unexpected visitor.

“We were excited, and no one knew what to expect,” Farmer, 19, said.

When Obama arrived, Farmer greeted her at the cash register. The two spoke about each other's days and the 100-degree heat, which Farmer informed the first lady wasn’t that hot for Las Vegas. Obama then ordered two small passion fruit iced teas and spoke with some customers.

Then, after posing for a few cellphone pictures, she was gone. Farmer went back to having a slow Tuesday afternoon. Since the visit, however, she said the coffee house’s popularity boosted on social media websites like Facebook and Twitter.

Farmer said she expects to see an up-tick in business at the coffee house for the next few days.

“Just judging by how many comments people will see online," she said. "I have friends from out of state texting me saying, ‘Dude, Michelle Obama was at your coffee shop.’ So hopefully (there will be an increase in business).”

Farmer said the experience met her expectations.

“She was very nice. I like her,” she said.

Still, Farmer’s just glad she doesn’t have to deal with the aftermath. She just plans to leave a note to warn the next manager.