Sips 31024 Coffee Café held its official Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday at noon, surrounded by a crowd of more than 30 well-wishers that included family, friends, fellow business owners, and several local government officials from both the city and county.
“We’re happy. We had so many of our friends and colleagues show up today, and we’re glad that we are providing the business here with an alternative menu,” Eatonton mayor and Sips co-owner John Reid said just minutes after the ribbon cutting. “We just hope that people will come out and see what we’ve got to offer and come out and support the business. We look forward to serving the community and sharing great conversation with people.”
Following the exterior celebration, nearly everyone attending headed inside to see what Sips was all about. Not just a coffee shop, Sips is a full-service, informal restaurant that serves all-day breakfasts, several fresh salads, various sandwiches, and a daily soup.
There are several pastry options, and Sips is licensed to serve several wine and beer options, too.
Entering Sips, patrons are greeted in a large, open seating area. Orders are placed at the counter, but uniformed staff deliver food and drinks to the appropriate tables. While waiting, customers can accept the offer to write their names or brief messages with permanent markers on one wall of the establishment. Sips also sells several Eatonton-oriented t-shirts and company-branded merchandise.
For Sips co-owner and city councilmember Janie Reid, the grand opening of Sips represents the realization of a nearly 35-year-old dream.
In 1990, she talked with a close friend about potentially opening a local coffee shop together; however, once she realized attending school to become a barista would be a requirement, Janie Reid said she opted out.
“I said, ‘No way,’ and to be totally honest, I didn’t even know what a barista was back then. I just knew I didn’t have the time or the energy for that, so I didn’t put it totally out of my mind, but I put it on the back burner,” she said. “So, yes, I’ve been thinking about this a long time … and after going to different meetings around here, listening to people say we want somewhere to eat and what we needed to eat, I started thinking about my dream again, and I went back to the coffee shop.”
Janie Reid recalled that the desire resumed early this decade; however, the Reids didn’t buy the building that Sips now occupies until April 2022.
Still, renovations didn’t start until about a year ago. Both said that John Reid handled all the renovation and construction except the electrical and water systems.
“Every wall, every doorway, every counter, I put that all in here,” the mayor said. “Fortunately, I had a father who taught me to do a lot of things, and I also spent some time at Horton Homes, and that helped me hone my skills. So, I was able to go in and do it, or I could tell when somebody wasn’t doing a good job for me, so I’d take it up and just do it myself.”
At approximately 2,100 total square feet, Sips includes the front dining room, counter, and kitchen, but also features a smaller dining/meeting room toward the back of the building.
A local women’s group has already reserved the space for a meeting this week. Downtown neighbor Peaceful Purpose Hospice will hold a staff meeting there later this month, and a celebration of life for centenarian Verlia Mae Lockhart, who passed away on Jan. 31, will be held on March 29 in the meeting room at Sips.
“I’m very pleased with how everything is going so far,” Janie Reid said. “Very pleased with the turnout here today. Very pleased to be surrounded by my children and my grandchildren. I had my past pastor here and friends. So, very pleased.”
She then took a moment to gather her thoughts on making Sips become a reality.
“It’s been a dream. You know, I thank God, and I thank my husband because he did this. He built it,” Janie Reid said. “I mean, I was just thinking about it for so long. He knew it was my dream, and he made it happen.”