The Morning Grind coffee shop has served the city of Milledgeville's local and student populations for nearly three years and its popularity shows no signs of slowing down. On Feb. 12 the small business hosted its 2nd annual “Galentine’s Day” event.
“I'm super excited,” Morning Grind owner Bridgette Smith said. “It’s great to see where we were last year and how many people RSVP’d compared to this year.'
According to Smith, Morning Grind received nearly double the number of reservations this year compared to the inaugural event. As a part of the occasion, Smith included two event packages for attendees to choose from.
The first, for $50, included treats, a Morning Grind drink, a bouquet-building station, and permanent jewelry. The second package was just $18 and included all of the above, except the jewelry.
Smith added the bouquet station this year, replacing the pre-made version included in last February’s event. She credited the event and an overall increase in publicity to helping bring in more customers.
“We have a little bit more PR, as far as stickers, drink carriers, and stuff, so we kind of upped our game a little bit in that,” Smith said.
“[Selling merchandise] is something that we did a little bit when we opened,” she added. “But now it’s one of those things where every time we order something, whether it’s shirts, hats, or sweatshirts, they’ll just sell out, and then it’s just a matter of time until I can order them again.”
As a Georgia Military College alumna, Smith said she grew familiar with the area surrounding it, which helped her to pick the perfect location for Morning Grind.
“At my old job, I was doing everything that I would do, such as running day-to-day operations, doing order guides, and hiring, but the business just wasn’t mine,” she said. “So, I knew I had the right assets to open a business, and when I found this space, it was just kind of meant to be.”
Overall, Smith is grateful for her business’ early success and looks forward to continuing her venture as a small business owner. After experiencing the positive turnout for her “Galentine's Day” event, she hopes to host more special events soon.
“I think we want to continue to do more and more events like this,” Smith said. “It's one of those things where [as a business] we continue to grow, and I’m very fortunate to be able to say that.”