Sean Kohmescher has come up with a winning business model when it comes to his two Temple coffee shops, but don't call him a businessman.

"My identity is not a businessman," he said. "My identity is someone who is passionate about coffee and tea."

Someone wanting to follow in his footsteps might think twice about replicating the road to his success.

Kohmescher spent eight months building the first location. "I built everything. If it's not a chair and it's not a couch, I built it," he said.

Although Kohmescher has a degree in interior graphic design, he has no formal background in architecture. He couldn't afford an architect at that time, so he drew the plans up himself -- sketch after sketch. "I learned the hard way," he said.

After the plans were up to the Department of Health and city building code's specifications, Kohmescher got to work using his own hands and his own tools: a hammer, jig saw, skill saw and belt sander.

Kohmescher was still working full-time while working on his first Temple. He would work all day and then go work on his own business, "anywhere from five to eight hours a day." When asked how much sleep he got, he laughed. "Not very much. It was a tough year."

The interior wasn't the only thing Kohmescher had to worry about before opening in 2005.

Before he opened his doors for business, he would regularly see women defecating near Temple's doorway and homeless people gathered near where the railing is, enjoying a beer. He called the police many times to make sure these issues weren't hindering his ability to attract customers.

Kohmescher recalls what was going through his mind on the day of the first Temple's grand opening, "I hope this works."

The decision to be open 365 days a year was settled upon from day one.

"It's important to be a community spot," he said. "Not to be selfish, to be in business for the people."

What about Christmas? "When I grew up we went to bars and coffee spots on holidays," he said. "On Christmas more than any other time I want to go out to breakfast."

The hard work didn't stop when the construction was finished. Kohmescher worked 18-hour days for the first four months that Temple was open with only one other employee to help out.

"I didn't have a choice for it not to succeed," he said. "When you sell everything you own, it's not an option."

Temple keeps it simple, specializing in coffee, tea and pastries. "When you do other things, you dilute the product."

The Old Soul muffins and pastries are baked at 3 or 4 a.m. every morning so that when Temple opens at 6 a.m., they're still warm. Other coffee shops have their baked goods delivered by semi truck from the Bay Area so by the time they hit the shelf, or the display case, they're already a day old, he said.

Kohmescher is adamant about people recycling. He finds it weird that people order coffee in to-go cups and then sit there and drink them at the shop. "Would you order take-out at a restaurant and then sit there and eat it with a plastic fork?"

His environmental conscience encompasses more than just the fair trade and organic coffee or the desire to recycle. The air conditioning may be constantly blowing, but Kohmescher said he keeps his shops at the SMUD-recommended temperature for energy efficiency -- 76 or 77 degrees. The thermostat only allows the temperature to fluctuate one degree.

June 29 marked the opening of the second Temple. Kohmescher decided he wanted another coffee shop to house a roaster and provide a space for training and certification programs.

Ben Lance has worked for Temple for over two years and has managed the S Street location since its opening.

Despite the long hours and long days, Lance said he genuinely loves what he does. "I would be here all the time anyway."

Kohmescher's passion for coffee has rubbed off on Lance, he said."The fire was there before, [but since working for Temple,] it’s bloomed into a brush fire."

Lance calls himself a "lifer," and hopes to "bring the level of quality and coffee awareness to another level, so there’s more understanding for the general public"

Temple is preparing for the Western Regional Barista Championship in February and the United States Barista Championship in March.

Lance has been practicing his latte pours for the Millrock Free-Pour Latte Art Competition on Sept. 25 in Seattle.

He will compete against 39 other baristas to pour the best looking latte. This is Lance's second time competing. Last year he placed 11th.

Kohmescher spends quite a bit of time at both Temples. "[I don't want to be] an absent owner," he said. "If I’m away, I’m doing other things for the business, for the coffee world."

His advice for someone else trying to open up a business: "Learn the business, work at a great place to get experience, take classes, become educated."

Asked if he would do anything differently, "I'm going to say no," he said after finishing one of his eight daily 8 oz. coffees. "What you’ve done makes you know what you know."