Saturday Business Spotlight: Sip Shack
[May 31, 2025] It
is estimated that approximately 90% of Americans use caffeine on a daily
basis. This has become a cornerstone of our nation, which is evidenced
by the success of businesses such as Starbucks and Dunkin. Even
restaurants such as McDonalds have dedicated portions of their menu to
caffeine, McCafé in this case.
Molly Mowery and Sam Runge have done their part to bring this near
universal necessity to Atlanta. Their business, Sip Shack, opened back
on July 21, 2021 and has worked to not only provide this much needed
caffeine to the denizens of Atlanta, but to make their drinks extremely
customizable and their customer service very personable.
Mowery lives in Atlanta and is very outdoorsy. She and her family love
to do activities such as boating and camping. Runge also lives in
Atlanta and likes to keep busy. Like Mowery, Runge is mother to a
daughter, and keeps busy with her activities and sports such as hockey.
Runge also loves to paint in her free time.
The Sip Shack has always been in Atlanta, although Mowery and Runge have
not. When she came to Atlanta, one thing Mowery recalls wanting is a
place to get coffee. With the exception of Casey’s, all other options
were a far drive from Atlanta and just not convenient. Mowery got the
idea of opening a business to cater to this desire, but being a full
time hair stylist, she would not have the time to do both.
Mowery brought her idea to one of her coworkers, Runge, who was a bit
skeptical at first. Opening a business is a big risk. Runge took the
time to think about what it would take to create a business that would
last past its first year in operation.
Then COVID struck, and since neither Mowery or Runge were considered
essential workers, they ended up with a lot of time on their hands. This
is time they used to plan their business and their brand. Ultimately,
the pair decided to go into business together.
Mowery and Runge settled on a beverage business, starting with a strong
base of coffee. They sourced beans from the Seattle area with several
businesses that they still use today. These businesses include Seven
Coffee Roasters, Olympic Crest, and Mel’s Mill. They wanted quality
coffee in a location that would make it more convenient to the people of
Atlanta. They also initially wanted to sell fresh baked goods, but ended
up selling pre-packaged baked goods until recently.
Their menu has become extensive, with them branching out from coffee to
beverages such as tea, lemonade, blended drinks (which are like
milkshakes), and Lotus Energy drinks. With so many options, as well as
so many flavor additions, their menu may seem a bit overwhelming to
people.
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Mowery and Runge never want people to feel this way, however. Their
choice to have so many options came from a place of wanting to have
something for everyone.
They also want their customers to not be afraid to ask for help making a
new drink. They like to talk to and get to know their customers, helping
them build drinks based on the flavors they enjoy. They do not want
anyone to feel like they have to order the same thing every time if that
is not what they want to do.
Sip Shack has had some challenges along the way, however. Finding clean
water was one of their first challenges. Runge also stated that
organizing contractors and meeting all health department standards was
challenging as well.
The pair also had some advice for people looking to open businesses in a
small town like Atlanta. Mowery shared that new business owners will get
to know the people in the town they get established in very well. They
are not just another customer, but someone that they will get to know
well. Runge stated that they have to become more appealing to people,
but stay true to the idea they had when establishing their business.
Mowery and Runge have several employees that work for their business.
These include Dani Alberts, Morgan Cisco, Julia Collins, Kenna Uphoff,
Grace Frye, Audrey Frye, and Shae South. Several of these employees
are high school students, and several have moved on to college but
return in the summer months to work. Mowery and Runge encourage their
employees to have creative freedom, allowing them to come up with drinks
like the current video game inspired drinks that they are serving. They
have also used their menu to help promote their local schools. They
previously had a Spartan drink and have added specialty drinks to help
promote local school plays.
Sip Shack is located at 204 SW Arch Street in Atlanta and is open Monday
through Friday 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Saturday 7:00 a.m. to 2:00
p.m. Mowery, Runge, or their employees will be happy to help you build
your next favorite drink.
[Matt Boutcher]
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