Today we’d like to introduce you to Wendy Powell.
Hi Wendy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Our story started when our kids were little, and we visited a cute tea shop in our area. My kids grew to love tea, and it was a healthier option. The tea shop closed, and we decided to buy the wholesale part of the company. We started selling at farmer’s markets, hoping to have our own shop one day. We knew we would need more than tea and thought coffee, local vendors, and art would go perfectly together. We researched coffee and tea shops. I took classes on expresso and tea making for almost 3 years until we found our perfect spot, a little cottage house. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but on the inside, it is a place to get away from the world. To find a little peace in your day. To spend time with friends or family. Our goal was to create a friendly space that felt like home. We’ve had to adapt with time. We opened in the fall of 2019, and then covid hit in the spring of 2020. We changed to curbside since we are not able to do drive-thru. We sold coffee as well as produce and Happy Cow Milk. The community was so supportive, and we made it through the year. We love connecting with our community. We love serving them the best coffee and tea. We love supporting locals. Running a business takes work. It takes a lot of hard work and amazing employees. I cannot say enough about my employees. They are the best. They make who we are. We look forward to adding a few new items this coming year and look forward to serving our customers for many more.
Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We open in the fall of 2019, and covid hit in the spring of 2020. We were worried but knew we had to adapt to survive. We did close our doors we changed to curbside. We looked for orders outside and brought drinks, fresh produce, and Happy Cow Milk to the car. The community was an amazing support. Since then, there have been shortages, price increases on supplies, and many other challenges, but we adapted and kept moving ahead. We opened a second location which did not work out. It ended up not being our people. We decided it wasn’t a failure but a learning experience. Failure is when you stop trying.
As you know, we’re big fans of Crossroads 4 Coffee and Tea. What can you tell our readers who might need to be more familiar with the brand?
We are a coffee and tea shop that sells local produce and vendor items. Our coffee is roasted locally from Bridge City Coffee in Greenville, SC. Quality and consistency in our drink are very important to us. We specialize in hand-crafted coffee drinks and loose-leaf tea. You will not find tea bags in our shop. The tea flavor is better when the tea leaves open in the water. If you don’t like tea, see us we can change your mind. Customer service is important to us. We train our employees to get to know our customers. They might remember drinks or remember something important that they did. We want them to feel like family. At the end of the day, I enjoy owning Crossroads when I see friends coming in to share conversation and coffee. A dad is bringing his little girl for a hot chocolate and cake pop. A family makes time each week to sit and chat outside on our deck. In a time where we tend to close ourselves off, our little cottage brings people together. That makes my heart happy. We offer coffee, tea, pastries, bread, breakfast sandwiches, espresso drinks, cold brew, kids frappes, and local vendor items such as soaps, earrings, prints, etc.
Can you talk to us about the role of luck?
I don’t know that I believe in luck. My dad taught me always to work hard and do my best. I’ve always believed that you can do anything you set your mind to. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without consent.” This has been my motto since I memorized it in High School.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cr4coffee.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cr4coffee1/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/100063623978443/
