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We took some time to sit down with the owners of some of our favorite Ogden coffee shops, and SheShreds Jamboree and Ladies Night sponsor, Grounds for Coffee. Meet Suzy Daily co-founder of the Ogden Grounds for Coffee franchises and Sadie Clifford, who owns the 25th St Shop.
We just love the limited edition mug that they've created - Look for a coupon in the Ladies Night Gift Bags (info on how to snag one here) and our Jamboree Prizes
Suzy, what inspired you to start Grounds for Coffee?
Suzy: My husband had the dream of working for himself and has been self-employed his whole life. When the first grounds for coffee opened in (Salt Lake) he loved it and wanted to open a location. We looked at Ogden for a location since we loved Ogden, and there were no coffee shops in town, so we decided to open one up there, and we're now the longest-running coffee shop in town.
The original Grounds for Coffee at 3005 Harrison Blvd., Ogden.
Sadie, how did you get your gig with Grounds for Coffee? Tell us what you do for them.
Sadie: As a single mom at 18, leaving an abusive relationship, I didn’t have very much work experience. I had worked at Starbucks in the SLC airport when I was 16, so my mom had suggested I apply at Grounds for Coffee (the parent store location), when I finally left my bad situation and moved in with her. I got the job! I ended up working for them for just under 3 years. I had wanted to own a coffee shop since I was 14-one day the thought “I want to own a coffee shop” came down on me out of nowhere like a ton of bricks. I still remember the moment. I thought it would be something I would do later in my life, possibly after retirement. I had never thought of it being my career…. After working for Dan and Suzy for a couple years, I talked to them about my desire to own a shop of my own one day. One of the locations, just outside of Ogden, became available and I started going through the motions to purchase it, and it was short-lived, and ended up getting sold to somebody else. When that happened, Suzy asked me if I would be interested in taking over their 25th Street location, which had been established about 5 years earlier, in a shared space, but was struggling. I jumped on the opportunity, they gave me and INCREDIBLE offer to walk into business ownership, pay them over the course of three years for the equipment, and turned the business over to me, on a silver platter, the day after my 22nd birthday!
Historic 25th Street Location
What is your favorite part about working with Grounds for Coffee?
Suzy: Getting to know the people who come through the door! The love for coffee crosses economic, ethnic, & religious lines, so we see a cross-section of Ogden coming into the shop. I also love seeing the people get to know each other in the shop. People have gotten married after meeting in our shops, they thank us for being there and for getting them through rough times. People meet there for all kinds of things, like book clubs, meetings, community gatherings and they even stop by after moving away, when they come back to town come and visit. We just love BUILDING COMMUNITY. The shops are designed the way they are to feel like a local and independent shop.
Sadie: I fell in love with working at a coffee shop when I was 16, working at Starbucks in the airport. I loved the fast-paced flow, the diversity, and the coffee. But, when I started at Grounds for Coffee a couple of years later, I found my home. I learned so much about myself and life in general. Although we stayed busy, the general atmosphere slowed down and allowed me to see people's lives a little more. A coffee shop is one of the most diverse places you’ll ever walk into. At any given time in one of our shops, you can see a retired, upper-class man in line next to a young, tattooed, man sporting a mohawk. We have Christian groups and atheist groups hold their meetings in our shops. We serve homeless people and some of Ogden's wealthiest citizens. First dates and break-ups. We even had two Ogden City Police officers get MARRIED at our shop!
So I guess the short answer would be the community and the diversity. Though it goes so much deeper than that.
3. What’s your favorite action sport? How did you get started with action sports?
Sadie: I don’t have an athletic bone in my body. I was born and raised here in Ogden and never stepped foot in a ski or snowboard until 3 years ago, my husband talked me into riding with him. He very patiently taught me how to snowboard, and I fell in love so fast! So, hands-down, snowboarding. I missed out on our incredible snow for too long and hope to make up for lost time….
What is your favorite thing to do when you aren’t shredding?
Sadie: My husband and our two kids live on a half an acre right here in Ogden city, and have created a little bit of a homestead. We love love love to just spend time in our backyard oasis, garden, play with our chickens and ducks and dogs. We have backyard picnics and bonfires and tea parties and Sunday brunches with friends.
What is something that has been inspiring you lately?
The way that people help each other out in our community. A recent study even rated the Ogden area as having the highest level of volunteerism in the US! Ogden residents have a great mentality. It's a big enough city to have a lot of awesome organizations, but the right size to still have a small community feel but amazing organizations.
What’s your favorite memory of your sport?
Sadie: Josh, my husband, and I went to Portland a couple of years ago for his birthday in January. We got there at the very end of Portland getting about a foot of snow! It was mostly melted in the city by the time we got there, but we brought our boards so that we could ride Mt. Hood, just to say that we did. BUT because of the snow all week, the mountain was EMPTY and FULL of powder! Yes, powder, at Mt Hood, coming from a Utah girl who now knows powder. It was UNREAL. Fresh tracks every single run, hardly saw another person, riding on top of a glacier that looked like a snow globe. There will never be another day like it.
Tell us about Grounds for Coffee’s partnership with SheShreds.co
Suzy: Female empowerment is really important. I think we live in such a patriarchal society and that women need to stand in solidarity with each other. I think that’s what SheShreds does. It empowers women to grab life by the horns and be physically active. SheShreds motivates people to be active and get outdoors regardless of age, shape, or size. I really hope it will also be a way to bring those ladies into our shop and incorporate them more into our community. It will help broaden our customer base and bring strong women together.
Sadie: As a predominately woman-owned company, I thought it would be great for us to partner with SheShreds, since they're so empowering for women. Gina and Tony are so easy to work with and so supportive. With my newfound love for snowboarding, wanting to push our brand more, and loving the fact that most of our franchises are now woman-owned, I talked to our franchise head about sponsoring their upcoming jamboree. We set up a meeting with Suzy, her husband Dan, Gina and Tony, and myself, and it was clearly a good match. The partnership will help us gain some ground on supporting that demographic, staying in touch with our local mountain resort, and continuing to express our love for women empowerment here in Ogden.
Which female athlete inspires you the most? Why?
Suzy: Serena Williams. She’s so strong and has had such a long and glorious career. She faced adversity and the way she represents herself and tennis and her day-to-day life is amazing. I love how outspoken and strong she is.
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