Gibsonville's new Daisy May Cafe is owner's "undreamable dream"

At just 25 years old, Sutton opened her dream coffee shop on Sept. 14 at 205 E. Main St., Gibsonville.

Named for her great grandmother, the coffee shop has connected Sutton both with her roots and with her community.

“(My great grandmother) loved her community, loved serving other people and I felt like after she passed away that I still wanted to have that little piece of her. To be able to give back to our community just as a smile over a cup of coffee makes me feel closer to her and makes me feel closer to the community,” she explained.

“It’s been amazing to kind of connect back with her through service to others,” she added.

Behind the bright yellow door lies an equally cheerful atmosphere, balancing neutral tones with bright pops of color and cheery messages printed on the tables. The menu is equally as enticing.

Daisy May Café serves a variety of coffees, teas, slushes, sparklers, sodas and more, ranging in price from about $2 to $6.

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“We try to keep our prices low to keep spirits high,” Sutton joked.

At the moment, Sutton’s favorite beverage is the seasonal  white chocolate pumpkin mocha.

The coffee shop is also working on partnerships with other local businesses to provide alcoholic beverages and food items.

“We’re working with some local wineries and breweries on shelf as well, but we’re mainly identifying as a coffee shop. We team up with other local bakers to bring in our sweets and pastries too,” Sutton said. “As much as we can pour into the community and support neighbors, we try to do that.”

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Alcoholic beverages will be sold by the bottle and prices will be determined by the winery or brewery.

The coffee shop is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sutton said she is working on scheduling some events to include food trucks and live music. Details on those events as they are finalized can be found on the shop’s social media pages.

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Sutton’s love for the community shines through as she talks about her new business. For her and her young family, Gibsonville was the perfect location to reach for her dream.

“I love Gibsonville and I love that it’s very family-oriented. It’s kind of grown a lot in the past year, which makes me excited for Gibsonville to see where it’s going. Although it is growing at such a rapid pace, it’s still homey, it’s cozy, everyone knows everyone and people are just comfortable to come and sit and hang out,” she said.

Downtown Gibsonville has seen several new businesses open during the COVID-19 pandemic and many of those owners have commented that the extra time allowed them to really focus in on their new ventures. Sutton said she was no different.

“In an odd way, COVID was kind of a blessing for us,” she said. “It allowed different opportunities to open up for us in our personal life that made this more obtainable.”

Getting to this point, however, has been far from easy.

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“It definitely affected our grand opening. It’s not how I thought it would look with social distancing and making sure everyone feels comfortable. We wanted to be able to give a really good first impression so to have limited seating, that kind of worried me at first. The community has been very understanding,” she said.

“It did elongate our process to open and to get here, but I think everything happens for a reason and it happens how it’s supposed to happen,” Sutton added.

Despite the challenges of the “new normal,” Sutton said the community’s response has been overwhelmingly positive.

“It’s kind of surreal,” she said. “It’s hard to put it in words, but I’ve been so thankful that I’ve been able to be here.”

“I’ve happy cried so many times at the overwhelming response we’ve had from the community since day one. The love and support the community has poured out has been insane,” she added. “It feels like I’m where I’m supposed to be.”

The coffee shop has several specials coming up, including a partnership with Little Pink Houses of Hope in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Next week, a portion of the proceeds from Daisy may's pink drinks — pink lemonade slushes, the strawberry rose sparkler, the red velvet latte and a raspberry creme — will be donated to Little Pink Houses of Hope.

The following week is theme week, during which Daisy May will release a new specialty drink each day of the week leading up to Halloween.

For more information, visit the Daisy May Cafe social media pages on Facebook and Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Times-News: Gibsonville's new Daisy May Cafe is owner's "undreamable dream"