Hello!
We’re Danica and Zeis—and sometimes our daughter, Uma. You can think of us as your favorite neighbors.
FELIZ is our home, and it’s your home too. Just with better coffee.
About Danica
I’m an entrepreneur, creative and one of your hosts at FELIZ.
Born and raised in New Jersey, I’ve made a few stops along the way—Pennsylvania, New York, LA, Marrakech and Miami—before eventually making Madrid, Spain my home.
There are lots of things that move me, but the constants throughout my life have been design, travel and connection. All three are woven into FELIZ.
I’ve spent most of my career either making beautiful things or making things beautiful. I’ve designed textiles for large companies and worked side by side with female artisans in Morocco. I love to visualize, plan, arrange and create—to take an idea and bring it to life.
I used to think this was simply a knack with little purpose. I’ve learned that it’s my gift.
Carrying out the vision for both FELIZ coffee shops has been one of my most satisfying assignments to date. From the spaces themselves to the products on our shelves and the way a bake is decorated, I love making FELIZ feel beautiful, thoughtful and uniquely ours.
I also love seeing the look on your face when you walk through the door, and hearing the stories and memories created here. It makes me especially proud to think that when we opened our doors in 2018, most people had no idea who or what FELIZ was.
FELIZ has become the kind of coffee shop you tell your friends about, and they tell their friends about.
Travel has always been another source of inspiration for me. It has opened my world to new ideas, new ways of seeing and doing things, and new ways of connecting with people. I love bringing those discoveries back into FELIZ.
Because connection is really at the heart of what we do.
Many friendships, connections and even loves have formed at FELIZ. When we hear those stories, that’s when we know we’ve done something right.
These shared experiences are what give purpose to everything we do.
Why a coffee shop?
Honestly, I think it was the natural meeting point for so many things we love: good coffee, food, design, hospitality, beautiful details and, most of all, people.
We loved the idea of creating a place where all of those things could exist together — somewhere that felt a little like home, but gave you a reason to leave the house.
That was the beginning of FELIZ.
About Zeis
Zeis is a doer, a dreamer and the smiling face you’ll see at FELIZ.
You’ll likely find him behind the bar making what’s probably the best flat white you’ve ever had. (Your words, not mine.)
Born and raised in Barcelona, Zeis left for New York to satisfy his curiosity about the world. Before that, he studied and worked in audiovisual production in Barcelona, a creative background that still influences the way he sees and approaches things today.
The stars aligned and that’s where we met—over coffee, travel and business brainstorms.
Zeis is my partner in business and in life.
He’s the guy with the winning smile and great sense of humor who can make just about anyone feel at home. It’s not unusual to see him flitting up and down, behind the bar, in the kitchen or somewhere in between. Everyone knows Zeis.
He’s a spontaneous adventurer, a big fan of pizza and an autodidact—you know, one of those people who teaches himself whatever he wants to learn.
When we decided to start FELIZ, Zeis took on the challenge of learning everything there was to learn about coffee and how to make it just right.
He took what he had learned and observed while living, working and drinking coffee in New York and brought the best of it to FELIZ. Since then, he’s continued to learn, experiment and obsess over the details.
He has a way of figuring things out.
He’s our handyman, accountant, trainer, troubleshooter, coffee buyer, equipment fixer and just about everything behind the scenes. If something breaks, needs improving or simply needs to get done, chances are Zeis is already on it.
He also creates the soundtrack at FELIZ. Music has always been important to him, and he takes as much care choosing what you hear in our shops as he does making your coffee. It’s one of those details that people notice—some even tell us they come to FELIZ for the music.
He shows up every day and works tirelessly to make sure FELIZ is what we want it to be—and that every cup of coffee that reaches your hands is as good as it can possibly be.
While I tend to think about the bigger picture, Zeis is the one who makes things happen.
Starting a business together has been one of the most challenging and rewarding journeys we’ve taken on.
We wanted to create something that brought together what each of us loved most: coffee, food, design, hospitality, creativity and beautiful details. It hasn’t always been easy, but over the years we’ve watched our tiny and not-so-tiny spaces become something far more special than we could have imagined.
FELIZ has grown into the place we dreamed of creating.
And while we’re proud of what we’ve built, so much of what makes FELIZ special comes from the people who walk through our doors. Your energy, your stories, your comments and the fact that you keep coming back inspire us to keep making it better.
For Zeis, FELIZ has always been about making people feel good.
A great coffee is important, of course. But so is the smile when someone walks through the door, the conversation at the bar, seeing a familiar face come back, or knowing that someone has chosen to spend part of their day with us.
After all these years, that’s still the part he loves most.
That, and making the best flat white you´ve ever had. (His words, not mine.)
Our doors are always open.
Love,
Danica & Zeis