How did Nicole Norton go from opening a “booty barre” studio to owning Shotz Coffee (1665 Main St., Fortuna, 707-725-8000) in less than two weeks? Good question! In 2016, she was a month away from opening her new workout studio near her regular stop for coffee. Norton had her certification in hand and key staff hired, including the pole dancing instructor. But Betsy Filippini, then owner of Shotz, had different plans for one of her favorite customers. When Nicole showed up in the drive-thru looking forward to a 12-ounce double white mocha, Filippini came to the window. “Betsy said, ‘Hey, I’m getting ready to retire in the next year. To sell the shop.’ I was one of the people she had in mind,” Norton recalls.
Norton was born in Los Angeles. It was a couple of years before her parents heard the call of Humboldt’s back-to-the-land movement. But after that, she grew up near Alderpoint, living with her mother near Laytonville after her parents split up when she was 5. She spent her teen years in Willits, where she met Thomas Norton. Nicole and Thomas began their Humboldt life together holding hands in high school. Some years on and all but one of their three sons (Wyatt, 25; Gavin, 23; and Riley, 17) are grown.
After hearing Filippini’s drive-thru pitch, Nicole Norton says, “I thought about it for a week. I told her no. I was opening my studio. I did not have the inspiration to go into coffee.” She was already six months into building her studio from the ground up. “I thought about it for another week,” she says, this time from a different angle. “Instead of opening a new business, I bought an existing business.” It is easy to see why, with its loyal customer base and a cherry location on Main Street, Shotz Coffee proved to be irresistible. “I sold my studio to the instructor I hired.” Talk about Humboldt working its magic.
Shortly after, another brew-based opportunity presented itself. Rio Dell’s Higher Grounds became available. In 2017, Shotz Coffee (541 Wildwood Ave., Rio Dell, 707-783-3502) opened its doors, much to the relief of the regulars who need a java jolt to start their day. Especially if made with their favorite blends from local micro roaster Humboldt Bay Coffee. “We serve all organic Humboldt Bay. They’ve been absolutely amazing to us,” says Norton. And to the earth, as they source beans that are fair trade, shade-grown and certified by the Rainforest Alliance.
Norton continued to grow her business with some dedicated help. “District Manager Haleigh Licona was here when I bought the business. She’s been with me for 10 years. She moved to Chico for a little bit, then came back to help in the summers. She’s my ride or die for sure!” Another ride or die? Her husband, Thomas, who keeps things humming. “He’s my maintenance man, snaking drains. He does all of it. I could do none of this without Haleigh and Thomas,” she says.
It takes around 35 employees to keep all three Shotz Coffee locations perking. Three? You heard right. In 2025, Norton added a new Shotz Coffee branch (2742 Broadway, Eureka, 707-442-2333). She purchased the Gold Rush Coffee/Green Rush Dispensary, including the building. You can’t help but notice the cool, artsy metal architectural bon bon as you approach. After dispensing with the dispensary, she and her team went to work. The signs are now all there that this is a great place to grab breakfast on the way to work, or while kicking back on your day off. Another sign is on the building itself, announcing Shotz Coffee has arrived. “We’ve been working on it all year. … We are also debuting the new fall menu!” she says, excited to have seasonal menus for the first time.
This busy entrepreneur doesn’t sit still for long.
Norton is growing her business as she builds her real estate investment portfolio. “We have just started a distribution company. We bought the building next door to Shotz Coffee in Fortuna to house all of our inventory,” she says. “We will be distributing sauces, syrups, chai, alternative milks and things like that.”
The Shotz Coffee team dishes up more than steaming coffee and hot breakfast burritos. (Or an energy whip with cinnamon roll if you prefer.) Maybe you’ve seen them at the Fortuna Rodeo Chili Cook-off, bringing their spicy team spirit out onto Main Street. “I donate to everybody,” says Norton, who gives back to the small towns that keep her employees busy.
“The first thing that comes to mind is that my Humboldt life is slower paced than anywhere else,” she says. The girl from the backwoods now makes sure you are fueled up for the times the pace of Humboldt needs to merge with the pace of everywhere else. Nicole Norton did not plan on coffee shops or real estate investing as her hand-in-hand career paths. “I had no idea what I was getting into,” she says. “Looking back, I am so happy I did it! It’s so much fun!”
Shotz Coffee can make you Norton’s current fave, a 16-ounce double Americano, unless you’re up for seasonal offerings like pumpkin spice. And cocoa weather is nigh! You never know what opportunity awaits in the drive-thru.
This article appears in My Humboldt Life October 2026.