Welcome to this week’s Sunday Scoop—though this week, it’s actually Carolyn stepping into the Blog! Being away from The View has been so incredibly hard on two fronts. While it has been so hard watching my dad go through his illnesses these past few weeks, it has been equally hard missing everyone back at The View. My heart has never left as this is my true happy place. But thanks to the technology of today, I have been able to stay in touch. I have watched my incredible team hold down the fort, each one fulfilling an important role in the place we all love. This week I wanted to highlight these incredible women (and men) that make us a team. I know you see their faces each day in the shop and online, (that is if you follow us on socials and if you don’t you really should. We have a lot of fun over there!), but I wanted to take you a little bit behind the scenes and let you know little bit about them that you might not know.
Let’s start with Cindy ~ Cindy has been with us at The View for 7 years! Cindy has spent many years in Buena Vista and raised her children here as well. She has many friends and people that love to see her when they come into the cafe. She is always good to ask someone's name when I can't quite remember. She will always know who is who! She is so very kind to our local customers and always has a smile and kind word for them. When I asked her what her favorite part of working here, she says that it is the customers that come in and become very special to us.
It took Cindy awhile to agree to be in our social media posts, but once she agreed she was all in! Now she even says that making those videos are one of her favorite things of being at The View.
Her favorite go to coffee order is a Cambric and she feels that everyone should try an Iced Vanilla Matcha Latte with Vanilla and Honey once in their life. Stonewall Kitchen is her favorite line in the store and if she had to buy a gift for a friend she would buy them a Michel Design Works Foaming Soap.
If Cindy had the opportunity to have coffee with someone from the past it would be her Mom and her dream destination to have a cup of coffee would be Italy.
Brenda, a steadfast presence in our family, has been part of The View and The Best Western Vista Inn for as long as I can remember. She has been with us on and off for the past 8 years. She has worked in the hotel as a breakfast attendant helping the hotel guests in the morning and then coming over to The View to take care of our View guests all afternoon. Not only is she loved by our customers, she is one of Sofi’s favorite people and will always choose her to be her dog-sitter whenever possible.
Brenda’s go to order is an Iced Americano with cream and she often recommends a White Chocolate Mocha when asked for a recommendation. If you ask Brenda what is one thing about being a Barista that people might not realize, she will tell you that there is so much involved in making the perfect drink, but love and care goes into each and every one.
If you asked her to pick her favorite item in the store she would have a hard time narrowing it down to one, but if she had to she would say Corkcicle.
Brenda would love to share that perfect cup with Jesus and then for fun she would LOVE to sit down with Princess Diana. And if she had her choice where to have that perfect cup of coffee she would choose Brazil or Venezuela so she could learn more about coffee.
Then there’s Molly, who has been with us for 4 years and just loves our customers. I am always in awe of her ability to remember a face and the drink that they love. Even if they haven’t visited in months, they walk in and she greets them and asks if they would like their tried and true favorite. I love to watch their eyes grow wide when she says that.
A true lover of the classics, Molly’s go-to drink is Peet’s drip coffee—a simple, strong brew that never fails to start the day right. If you ask her for a recommendation she will steer you to the Lifestyle Chocolate Brownie Smoothie.
Now if you were to ask her for a recommendation for a gift, she loves jewelry for a gift and in particular, The Little Word Project Bracelets. And if she had to give a gift, she would give anything from Kelly Rae Roberts. I am going to pause a minute here and talk about Molly’s gift giving. She is amazing! Just like she remembers coffee orders, she remembers conversations and when it comes time to give a gift she draws on conversations that you have had with her and gives you the perfect gift. I have been stunned when opening gifts from her by her intuition and knowing the perfectly special gift she picked out just for me based on past conversations.
If Molly could share a cup of coffee with a legendary mind, she’d choose none other than Leonardo da Vinci, Shakespeare or Cleopatra. I can only image those conversations. I’d like to be a part of that coffee Klatch. Her dream travel destination for that coffee adventure would be Copenhagen, Vienna or Brazil.
Next up is Audrey who has been with The View for almost 3 years. What started out as a part-time job for her, unexpectedly turned into a full-time gig and being my right hand (and sometimes my right brain). When my health took an unexpected turn a couple years ago, I turned to Audrey and she stepped in with no questions asked to take on my duties while I was in recovery. 3 years later she plays an integral part in the operation of The View. Whether she is pricing, unboxing a new order or helping me with a display she is always busy. I know you have all seen the amazing job she does on our social media. I love that she never says No! Not a day goes by when I don’t come in and say, Hey Audrey, What do you think about this reel? Her answer is always SURE! I am so thankful that she helps me put all of my crazy ideas into motion. If you ask what her favorite memory of her time at The View she would tell you it is the making of the reels especially the one with her and Sammi and the whip cream. (If you haven’t seen it, go check it out on Instagram, it’s pretty funny!)
Coffee and Audrey go hand in hand. You will usually find her with a coffee throughout the day and her go to favorite is a Vanilla Latte with ripple milk. However, if you ask her, everyone should have a Black Tie Cold Brew once in their life. If she could create a speciality drink she would make a Tiramisu Latte. That just might be something we have to look into!
Her favorite item that we carry is Jellycat. She can tell you every name of every character and truly gets sad when they leave to go to their forever home. If you were to ask her for a recommendation for a gift she would steer you to the Stonewall Kitchen Collection, but when she is gifting her favorite gift to give is a Voluspa or Capri Blue Candle.
If Audrey could have coffee with anyone she would choose Jesus or her Grandpa and she would love to have that coffee in Milan, Italy!
Tonya has been a part of The View and The Best Western Vista Inn for 2 years. She started working as a Front Desk Clerk in the hotel and then offered to come and help at The View when we were short staffed. She has now become one I can always count on. Tonya is always ready to jump in wherever she is needed the most. From unpacking new shipments, to packing up online orders to dressing up as an elf for our Annual Open House. If you ask what her favorite memory of her time at The View she would tell you all the parties! Tonya always has a smile on her face and is very kind to all of our customers. And she doesn’t think I am crazy when I call her at 9:30 at night when she is working the front desk to go and find a Jellycat Character that just sold online.
Her favorite drink is a Vanilla Latte and she thinks the most popular drink among our customers is a Caramel Macchiato. She says everything we carry is great, but especially loves all the food items and would give a Cookbook if she was picking out a gift for a friend.
One thing that many of you don’t know about Tonya is that she loves sports! All sports! If she could have coffee with anyone she would choose Jackie Robinson and she would love to travel to Greece for a coffee adventure.
One of the newest additions to The View is Gabbie, our little spark of energy has been with us for 5 months. She never fails to inject a little extra joy into each shift. Not a day goes by where she does not have me belly laughing with her funny stories. But the best part is her Gen Z lingo. Apparently, on occasion I “SLAY” and that, I am told, is a good thing. While she is young at heart, I believe she is an old soul. She carries with her a kindness and a maturity that one rarely sees with someone her age. She has been a wonderful addition to our View Family.
Her new favorite drink is our February Specialty Drink the Blushing Latte with almond milk, but she thinks that everyone should have a Havana Cappuccino once in their life. One thing she wants you to know that as a Barista you cannot have all the caffeine that we want. Because sometimes too much caffeine is not a good thing! If she could create her own signature drink she would call it The Samoa with Chocolate, Caramel and Coconut. Hmmm, don’t we have that on the secret menu by a different name??
Gabbie’s favorite line we carry is also Jellycat. Her favorite Jellycat is our latest arrival, which she has been anxiously been waiting for, Clyde Capybara. She said she would give that as a gift if she had to pick something out for a friend, but I think she should keep it for herself.
If she could have coffee with anyone she would choose Taylor Swift and she would love to go to Vietnam to experience coffee there.
Kirstin also new to The View has been with us since October. Though she often works behind the scenes, Kirstin’s creative spark is felt in every corner of The View. In the short time that she has been with us, she has become invaluable. Her energy and her enthusiasm are contagious. All of those emails heading your way and the new Birthday Club, have Kirstin’s hand in them. She has been very instrumental in getting our email program up and running and making me stay on track. She too doesn’t think I am crazy with all of my crazy ideas and doesn’t hate me (I think) when I tell her I am not crazy about a design or when my OCD takes over and I ask her to change a font or some spacing.
When I ask her what she loves about being at The View she said “I love being creative, and working for an amazing businesswoman like Carolyn is a huge bonus. I learn something new from her every day. (Well that’s nice 😔) Plus, I get to hang out with fun people!” She also says anytime she works with Gabbie, something funny happens. She’s always keeping things light and fun!
Her favorite go to drink is a dirty chai or caramel macchiato. She feels sometimes you need a little spice and sometimes you need straight-up dessert in a cup! If you ask her what is something that most people don’t know about being a Barista she would tell you It’s not as easy as it looks! There’s a lot of multitasking and keeping things running smoothly during the rush while keeping a smile on your face!
Kirstin’s favorite things in the shop are Journals, Jellycat, candles… and, of course, coffee! When a customer asks her for a recommendation she will always say a Jellycat or a candle and when buying a gift she will also always give a candle. She loves her home to smell like a boutique and wants that vibe for everyone else as well.
When asked who she would love to have coffee with she said her dad. She misses him terribly, and would give anything for one more cup of coffee with him.
Kirstin has been very fortunate and has already sipped espresso with her kid in Paris, Italy, Amsterdam, and Spain. She believes coffee just tastes better when you’re creating memories like that.
And Lastly we have Dylan. In reality, Dylan has been here the longest ~ 26 years this April. Dylan was brought home from the hospital to what we all now call The View.
Here is a funny story… 24 hours after Dylan was born, I was back at the hotel and walked out to the Front Desk of the hotel. One of our longterm guests came up to the desk, looked at me and said, “Weren’t you pregnant yesterday?” I said, “Yes, do you want to see my baby?” So, truly Dylan has been here the longest.
Dylan is our go-to guy. If I need something whether it is moving around a display or hanging something or dressing up in one of many crazy costumes, he is always game! If you ask him his favorite part of the View he will actually say dressing up as The Grinch and Buddy the Elf.
His favorite drink is a Caramel Macchiato, but he does recommend a Medicine Ball during cold season. Dylan loves catching up with old friends when they come in and he especially loves Jan and Joanie. He has truly built a connection with many people over the years and is always there to give them a hug.
He dreams of exploring a café in Columbia and if given the chance, he’d share that experience with Major Winters, a US Army Office in WWII and a true leader who inspires him every day.
Well that’s everyone! I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into our team. I hope you feel the love and dedication of this incredible team in every cup they serve. Each one of them adds their own unique twist to our community, making it so much more than just a café—it’s a home. So next time you stop by, take a moment to share a smile, a story, or simply a “hello.” Because here at The View, every cup is a memory, and every memory is part of our story.
Until I see you again, keep sipping, keep smiling, and remember, there’s always a little magic in every cup.
Carolyn
