The Grimmer clan brings laughs, hot coffee to Village shopping center.

Penny speaks fluent Spanish. Jolene speaks fluent German. Bonnie, meanwhile, is still struggling with English.

“Not really,” laughed the eldest of the sisters Grimmer, adding that she actually holds a degree in English.

As two of the three sisters are former teachers, they know there’s nothing shameful about struggling with English.

It’s just that they like to give Bonnie a hard time, as they did in the weeks leading up to the opening of their new coffee shop, the Mud Puddle Cafe.

As they readied the interior, they covered the exterior with several playfully disparaging signs, presented in the same format – with Bonnie always bearing the brunt of the criticism.

“After we opened a lot of people came in wanting to commiserate with her,” said Jolene Grimmer.

The shop opened March 23 at the Village Shopping Center, in the space vacated by Bagels and Beans.

Along with coffee, the sisters serve a cornucopia of pastries, cakes and sandwiches – some of which come from their grandma’s recipe book – in an antique atmosphere.

“It’s supposed to feel like a coffee shop,” said Bonnie, pointing out items around the room that the sisters have gathered through the years.

Items include antique furniture and a spittoon that hasn’t yet seen use. There’s even a Victrola – so unlike an iPod that it appears completely unrelated to music reproduction – that occasionally plays tunes in the back corner of the cafe.

Many customers have commented that the cafe is laid out differently than its predecessor, Penny Grimmer said.

The Grimmers added kitchen and storage space. The counter is now up front. In fact, everything inside has changed except for the ceiling, light fixtures and tables.

“A lot of people say it looks bigger,” Penny said. “It’s actually a little bit smaller than it was before.”

The idea of opening a coffee shop has been brewing for some time among the sisters, who grew up in upstate New York.

Penny moved to Seattle in the early 1990s for a job in the biopharmaceutical industry. Meanwhile, the other sisters taught, Bonnie in Waco, Texas and Jolene in Baltimore, Md.

As Penny tired of the travel associated with their work, talk of the coffee shop increased.

“After years of traveling I really wanted to have a business where I wasn’t constantly living out of my suitcase,” she said.

During a Christmas phone conversation the three sisters decided to make their move.

In June 2005, Bonnie came to Seattle, where she worked for “an international coffee corporation” to learn the workings of the industry.

The sisters had their eyes on their new space for some time, having missed out on an earlier opportunity to move in. When it again became available this year, they pounced.

Each sister handles a different portion of the work. Bonnie is the coffee expert, Jolene is in charge of the food and Penny minds the business.

All three work regular shifts alongside their 11 employees, and are loving life on the island.

“It’s a lot like home,” Bonnie said. “Except there’s more water.”

That’s a good thing for the sister – Bonnie, of course – whose sense of direction is sometimes lacking. There are only so many places to get lost on an island, she said.

They want their business to stand apart from the competition, so they’re staying open late – until 9 p.m. on weeknights and 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

“It’s nice to be able to get a cup of coffee after a show or a ballgame,” Penny said.

They also plan to offer entertainment, like poetry, karaoke and open mics, atop a murphy bed they’re converting to a stage.

Prizes and contests will be regularly offered. Right now customers can enter to win tickets and paid parking to a show at the Paramount Theater in Seattle.

“We like to have a lot of fun,” Jolene said, adding that customers shouldn’t feel too bad for Bonnie. “It’s all in fun.”

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Puddle jumping

Mud Puddle Cafe is located at 321 High School Road NE, in the former location of the Bagels and Beans coffee shop.

The cafe opens everyday at 5:30 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m Friday and Saturday.

Call the cafe at 780-8844 for more information.