LIVE LIKE A LOCAL: SUNDIAL COFFEE & TEA [BRANDING FEATURE]
Let me tell you a little story about my favorite coffee shop.
If you live within 30 minutes of Topsail Island, you probably know it well. If not, then you should.
I used to drive the two lane road through Surf City into Holly Ridge, and I’d pass this little brick building with glass double doors. It was very unassuming, and I can’t say that I paid it much mind except noticing that the sign out front had the cutest hand-painted logo of a seashell. I thought it was cute, but again, I drove right by.
I would say that I was still relatively new to town and hadn’t found my “places” yet. Also, prior to getting into real estate, I was in the jewelry business, and I drove all the way into Wilmington for work, so my time hanging out in Surf City was rare.
Anyway… I got my real estate license, and one of my first meetings with my new real estate team was in this little brick building with concrete floors and edison bulb string lighting. Honestly, it was everything you could dream of for a small town coffee house with charm, but you would not know it from the road!
We sat at one of the white, shabby-chic, freshly refinished antique tables and my coworker struck up a conversation with who was clearly the owner of the shop, but I quickly discovered that she was also a friend.
The more I listened to their conversation, the more I understood the owner, Bridget, to be the kind of person I would want to spend more time with. She’s wholesome, friendly, creative, open-minded, and very interested in the lives of the people who walked through her door.
As magnetic as her personality was, and as cozy as this coffee shop was, I was quick to return there for another americano and a sit with my laptop. Bridget was also quick to make her way over to me, remember my name, and strike up a conversation. Our friendship grew from there. And my relationship with her entire team blossomed. Her team members tend to stick around…. what coffee house do you know of that has the same round of team members for years over? It’s rare.
Sundial Coffee & Tea - Branding Session September 2022, Lineberry Photography Co.
I asked her these questions recently so you could hear it in her “voice”:
When you think of Surf City, what do you want people (tourists primarily) to know about it?
The first thing I would say to someone visiting Surf City for the first time is, “Slow down and notice the view.” Every time we cross the bridge to the island I remind myself to see the beauty of it. Crossing the bridge is just the beginning. Take a walk out on the Surf City Pier and talk to the fishermen, rent a kayak and see & smell our ecosystem at work on the sound! The North end is the best spot to search for shark’s teeth and sea glass, but the South End is the perfect place to chase the sunset! To me, these are the things that make our city so special!
What are your personal favorite ways to philanthropically support your community?
Because we are a small business in a city mostly made up of small businesses we have to support one another! And we do! We shop small, eat small, and play small.
Our town also cares for those who are in need; such as Share the Table, Safe Haven, & The Long Board Association. Our small business is able to donate, in small ways, to each of these organizations.
We also have groups of volunteers who care well for our ocean, beaches, marshes, and the amazing creatures who live in the sea! The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital is just down the street from Sundial. We adopted a sea turtle nest and donated a portion of specific sales to the hospital last year and we plan to do the same this year. This is a “must see” if you are visiting Surf City! This year we are looking forward to participating in Ocean Fest, a sweet group of folks who raise funds and then donate those funds to the smaller groups who are working to keep our waters & sea life happy and healthy.
In many ways, you are a leader, and you have to practice leadership skills in your workplace, family, community, etc. For your workplace specifically, what can you say about the work-environment or work-culture within your team that makes Sundial so welcoming and a positive place to visit?
While I like to think our coffee is amazing and our shop is beautiful, it is our team that makes our coffee shop so special! Our goal is to care for each other well and make our customers our priority. Each of our baristas and bakers understand that our work-culture is one in which we build each other up. When you feel loved and supported at work, it is easy to pass that on to each customer that enters our doors.
We are not perfect at this, but we are growing and striving to be better every day.
We have been blessed to have our coffee shop planted in a place where we are surrounded by like minded folks. Our customers have become our friends and I can't imagine running our shop any other way!
Not quite 4 years later, and I’d call her one of my dearest friends. I’ve watched the community rally behind her and her team as they made their way from that little brick building all the way to the freshest shopping center to hit Surf City. She got prime real estate in the front corner of a large, multipurpose complex. Hard work, an open heart, community support, as well as a dang good cup of caffeine earned her that.
She has supported my photography business in more ways than one: my prints are on her walls for sale; she’s allowed me to photograph her business’ branding needs, and she’s given me the physical space to explore my creativity.
If you find yourself in need of a quality sip…. and a smile, a refresh, a new friend, or just a place to sit down, then you should be inspired by their recent branding sessions!
Our goal with our fall and winter sessions (September and December) was to showcase the heart of their business. Mission accomplished. Go ahead and make a trip over to Sundial.
FALL 2022
WINTER 2022
