Why We Do It
It’s so hard to believe that Thanks A Latte has been open for 2.5 years now. Time has FLOWN by. There are so many of you that have been with us since the beginning, but we thought we’d take time this week to tell our story.
People ask my mom all the time if opening a coffee shop has always been her dream. And what’s hilarious is that the answer is no. I should probably take a moment to tell you a little bit more about my mom so that you understand. She is a total go-getter. She gets in her head the life she wants, and she makes it happen! She has done everything from teach to coach to manage retail stores to opening her own!
She understands that it’s not always about what you do, but why you do it.
For example, she was a teacher at a private school for 9 years – not because she necessarily loved teaching (although she does enjoy it!) – but so that her kids could go to a good school for free. She worked at Gymboree when we were babies so that she could get discounts on (according to her) the best and softest clothes for us. When we all fell in love with Ann Taylor Loft, guess what she did? Became a manager there so we could get their clothes for 50% off. She worked with a pregnancy center to teach teens why it’s important to save yourself for marriage, and she even used to volunteer to put on modesty fashion shows in order to teach young girls how to value their bodies and still be cute (I’ll give you one guess who her two models were…). My mom is not afraid to take risks in order to live her life to the fullest and help others do the same.
So anyways, in July of 2012, my mom and sister were at the beach and thought of this crazy idea to open a coffee shop and a gift boutique. I was living in Thailand (another story for another day), my sister was in college and my brother was about to move out and start school at ECU. She started thinking she was going to be lonely without all of us living at home anymore. So she and Rachel drew up the plans for what would soon be Thanks A Latte and presented the idea to my dad – convinced he would say no. But, as I’m sure you can guess, he thought it was a great idea. Six short months later, I had graduated college and had moved home to help my mom open.
So many people say it’s their dream to have their own coffee shop. And for good reason – it’s a blast! But I think the reasons my mom decided to open her coffee shop were a little different than most. While she does love coffee and she does love gifts, she loves people more. She loves getting to know all of you. She loves hearing your stories. She loves laughing with you, crying with you and loving you through good times and hard times.
I think she has finally found the one thing that allows her to do what she’s best at. Loving people.
Watch this awesome video about how we started Thanks A Latte!
Love & Lattes 