Today we’d like to introduce you to Sadie Smith.
Hi Sadie, we’d love for you to share your story and how you got started.
Wow. My story is one that I truly love, and even though I’ve lived it, sometimes I question if it’s real.
I remember one day, I was 14, walking from my kitchen to my living room, and just had this HUGE knowing thought come crashing into my brain, “I’m going to own a coffee shop one day”. There it was, for no reason, without any context, but it was big. At that point, I don’t think I had even stepped foot in a coffee shop. The thought stuck with me, though, in the back of my mind, a dream that just felt like truth, almost matter-of-fact.
Fast forward a couple of years, and I started my second job at Starbucks in the D concourse at the SLC airport, at 16. I fell in love! Hard! Wow…. Making coffee, the sounds, the smells, the people, the way that we were able to make someone’s day better, by just making a nice cup of coffee and sending them off with a smile. I was hooked.
Unfortunately, that job ended with an abusive relationship that I was in.
During the next two years, I completely lost who I was. I didn’t have much contact with anyone. I was shy and timid. And then I had a baby.
When my now 16-year-old, was 5 months old, I left my abuser, and moved in with my mom. 18 years old, a single mom, and relearning who I was, I applied at Grounds for Coffee on 30th & Harrison, and got the job!!
If I thought I was in love with serving coffee before, it was just a fling. Grounds for Coffee was the real deal for me. What an incredible place to learn and grow, to feel acceptance, to see diversity. I saw many different lives being lived, all of them beautifully varied, and equally accepted, I spent the next (almost) 3 years behind that counter.
At one point during my employment at Grounds for Coffee, I decided to go to college to see what drew me in. The dream of a coffee shop never felt like something I would do as a living; for whatever reason, I imagined I would do that in retirement (HAHA I was SO naive. Really.)
During my 4 semesters at WSU, I landed a spot in the Women’s Center, running a Single Mom Initiatve group that I had joined, as a member, during my first semester. I was able to make beautiful connections there that I still have today.
Back at the coffee shop, I started to date a regular customer, who I later married, had a child with, and then divorced. About a year into our relationship, both of us students at Weber State, with him taking business management classes, he asked me if I would ever want to open a Grounds for Coffee with him. It was then that I told him about the moment I had when I was 14, and rekindled that dream. He had done some research on the Grounds for Coffee franchise, we told Dan and Suzy (owners of Grounds for Coffee) about our plans, and started to put some things in motion.
At work, I started to imagine the shop was mine, wondering what I would do in certain situations if I was the owner, and putting a lot of energy into the idea. Around the same time, a current franchise location came up for sale! We inquired, started to take some steps towards our business license, and then found out that the owner had made the sale to somebody else.
Feeling a bit deflated, I spoke to Suzy the next day, and that’s when she said the words that would change my life, “Dan and I were wondering if you would want to take over our 25th Street location” (!!!!!!) What? Yes. Obviously. I mean….. YES. Things started moving quickly, and before the semester was over, the day before my 22nd birthday, we were officially owners of a Grounds for Coffee franchise, at 111 Historic 25th Street.
My now ex-husband would be in charge of the back end, and I would do the only thing I really knew how to do in the business- make coffee and create connections with our customers. I had no business experience, had only had a handful of jobs in my life, and was absolutely faking the rest and making it up as I went.
A couple of years in, my ex, working full-time at another job, and not filling fulfilled from the shop, pulled himself out of the business. A year or so later, we divorced, and I’ve kept my shop.
This magically little shop has held me close, and completely taken care of me just as much as I have taken care of it. It’s my Giving Tree. It’s been with me through love and loss, we’ve survived a pandemic together, it’s grieved with me, and given me almost every connection that is active in my life. Looking back, I have no idea why Dan and Suzy felt compelled to hand over this beautiful shop to me on such a silver platter, but there’s no world where I can imagine my life without it.
From 18 years old, a single mom leaving an abusive relationship with $3 in my pocket, to 22 and pretending I knew what I was doing, to 35 with a growing business and a life that I’ve always imagined.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Haaaahahahahaha. No. Never. But that’s honestly one of the things I love about it 😉 Over the last 13 years, I’ve gotten pretty confident in my ability to put out many different kinds of fires. There’s always, constantly, a challenge that I’m working on. There have been MANY times that I’ve thought about throwing in the towel. That usually looks like this… “man, this is too much, I don’t know if I can keep doing it…… Ok. What would the next step be then? Where would I go work, what would I want to be doing?…. Alright. Never mind. I’ll figure this out.” Repeat. Though, it’s been quite a few years now since I’ve questioned this path. There are still challenges, of course, but we’ve made it this far…
We’ve been impressed with Grounds for Coffee, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My business is Grounds for Coffee on 25th Street in Ogden. Grounds for Coffee is a local franchise, with 11 locations across the Wasatch Front, between 6 different owners. Each shop has its very own individual flavor, though as a franchise, we have a heavy focus on our communities.
For me, a coffee shop means diversity, inclusivity, and a safe space for you everyone. We strive to be that “third place” for our customers, a place where you can go, outside of home or work, that feels comfortable and inviting. There’s a sort of magic inside our walls, that feels safe and nurturing, and that comes not from me, but from everyone inside.
The coffee community in Ogden is not competitive, it’s welcoming. We all work together, we collaborate, and we are all pillars to our community. There is such a mutual respect between all of the shop owners, and whereas that doesn’t really set us apart, it feels like a beautiful thing worth mentioning.
In my shop, a few of our special touches include: an in-house baker who is about to celebrate 10 years with the shop, a rotating local artist display space that changes each month, cozy window seats that overlook 25th street murals all over our walls from local artists, a beautiful retail space, and a yoga studio upstairs.
What matters most to you?
Kindness. Acceptance. Connection.
Contact Info:
- Website: Gfc25th.com
- Instagram: GroundsforCoffee25thStreet
Image Credits
Kenzie Cloyd
Josh Smith
Wren Bickett
