A Cup of Love An Interview with Kat Mische Elle
Nixie & Rafael, how did the two of you meet? he night we first met, it was out on a dance floor in a club. We connected so quickly it almost didn’t feel like we were meeting for the first time. We quickly learned that we had so many things in common! We discovered that both of our parents were born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to the United States during the late 70s. Rafael and I are the first generation born in the U.S. and the eldest child in our families. We were both in family-owned grocery store businesses, and we lived in the same neighborhood, only about 5 minutes from each other, yet we had never crossed paths. It was incredible that we both lived in this small town in Queens and that this was the first time we met. It took a night being motivated to dance to traditional Merengue-style music of the Dominican Republic at a club about thirty minutes away from our homes for our paths to cross. Rafael: Hence the art on our coffee bag with the dance club on the logo. Before meeting Nixie, I had written about the woman I wanted in my life on a piece of paper. I was very clear and specific on that list with the descriptions of the partner that I wanted in my life. And I wasn’t going to settle for anything other than what I put on that piece of paper. Dancing had to be one of those things. That dancing partner needed to be a smart, kind, and attractive woman. That was Nixie. After that first night, Nixie and I spent about two to three months where she would come to my house every night. Nixie: There was no physical intimacy during those months, but we connected on deep intimate levels about our visions for business and life. He says he knew I was the one from the moment he met me. Rafael: Definitely. Nixie: I, on the other hand, was more reserved about my thoughts, but I knew there was a connection, and I really wanted to see him every day. Rafael: Something was pulling her and me together, and I decided to trust and follow where I was being led. Nixie: Even though we had opposite personalities, our core values, self-respect, and inspirations were an exact match! Recognizing that what we had between us was so incredibly special, it was a truth like no other, something we had never experienced before. After dating for six months, Rafael proposed, and we decided to get married! The day we said “I do” was when the journey really began. That was the yes to our marital commitment and the yes to choosing the life and business adventures we would embark on. We genuinely have the most authentic form of partnership between us. This was the beginning of our business and love story.
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I N S P I RE D S U CC E SS MAGAZINE | SP RING/ SUMME R 2022
NIXIE & RAFAEL
BU S I N ES S
