Building a Business: Quinn Continues Coffee Shop Tradition With Main Street
Main Street owner encourages businesses to ‘get creative’
By AMIE KNOWLES
PILOT MOUNTAIN — When Kim Quinn first moved to Pilot Mountain, pursuing a career as a certified public accountant, the area wasn’t quite what she expected. Used to the hustle and bustle of the Durham area, the city girl suddenly found herself in Mayberry — almost literally, with Mt. Airy less than half an hour down the road.
Traffic wasn’t bumper to bumper, half of the people in town seemed to know each other and the local coffee shop simply beckoned her inside.
“There was a coffee shop at the time called Nana’s House,” Quinn said. “I loved going there. I spent a lot of money there because I’m kind of a Starbucks person.”
However, the more Quinn visited the local coffeehouse, the more she realized the downtown area needed help.
“I noticed the downtown was not prospering,” Quinn said.
The CPA, who became town commissioner, quickly concocted a revitalization plan for Pilot Mountain, which included one of the strongest forces known to mankind — women with cash and shops where they could spend it.
In 2015, Quinn worked with downtown businesses for an event she called Ladies Night Out. She started a Pilot Mountain passport program, with papers given out at the local visitor center at the beginning of the evening. When ladies entered a participating store, the manager placed a sticker on the passport.
“I said that maybe if we could draw more people downtown and make it fun, and they could get to know the businesses downtown, then it could help, you know, bring people downtown to discover the businesses that were there in town,” Quinn said.
Following the first event, over 140 women completed their passports with 12 or more stickers, with an estimated 200 participants total. Quinn entered the completed passports into a drawing for 18 local gift cards.
Now an annual event, many shops in downtown Pilot Mountain extend their operating hours and offer special discounts throughout the evening.
“So I started getting involved in the downtown and trying to help the businesses,” Quinn said. “Then Nana’s Coffee House decided to close their doors and I said, ‘As much money as I’m spending on coffee, I should just open my own shop and drink coffee for free.’”
Opening Her Own Shop
In 2018, Quinn purchased the equipment from Nana’s and relocated a block away at 115 E Main St in Pilot Mountain. She rebranded the business into Main Street Coffee, LLC.
Quinn kept elements of the former menu and also expanded the business’s offerings, which include coffees, smoothies, ice cream selections, soups, wraps, cake pops, truffles and cheesecakes. The baked items come from a local vendor in Mt. Airy, Prudence McCabe Confections.
“We have steadily just kept increasing business since we’ve been open. We’ve been hitting new marks every month, every year,” Quinn said. “We’re profitable, which is unheard of for a small business, especially within two years, but the community’s shown a lot of support.”
Unfortunately, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck the Old North State during the first week of March, many businesses soon faced a new reality. At first, it didn’t deter those seeking a frappuccino.
“Initially, our business increased when the virus hit. I think the community came out in strong support before the stay-at-home order came into effect. We had two of our local PTOs buy $5 gift cards for their entire staff, so that bumped us up in sales,” Quinn said. “The weather turned really hot, there, for a couple of days. People were coming out, even though they were still social distancing.”
On March 17, an executive order by Gov. Roy Cooper mandated that all North Carolina restaurants and bars close their sit-down services and switch to takeout, curbside or delivery orders only. Even though the coffeehouse isn’t considered a restaurant, Quinn closed the lobby area for safety precautions. That’s when things started changing for the business.
“As far as the staff, I kind of just hung in there because sales were pretty good, but this week we’re watching it plummet,” Quinn said. “We’re down about 50% in sales this week, so we’re seeing a sharp decline this week.”
Because of the drastic shift in the customer base, Main Street Coffee shaved two hours off of each workday except Sunday. Still in the area’s off-season, Quinn noted that the coffeehouse didn’t double staff, so while the hours have altered, jobs haven’t gone away and wages haven’t changed.
Each year, the coffee shop donates ice cream for elementary school socials, supports local sports teams and sponsors various local initiatives. Now, it’s the community’s chance to demonstrate its support for local businesses, like Main Street Coffee.
Like Quinn’s Ladies Night Out idea, the town recently created an initiative called #PilotStrong, which brings back the passports, but with businesses that are open during the pandemic. It features each business’s operating hours and encourages participants to purchase from the local shops. When an individual buys a local product, they receive a stamp on their passport and become eligible to win prizes.
“I think a lot of businesses are getting creative. Some of them aren’t. But a lot of them are getting pretty creative with it,” Quinn said. “I think our town is pretty strong. I feel like we’re losing businesses, but I think overall we’re sticking in there right now. Everybody’s trying to be safe and provide a good product and a safe way to get it that’s not breaking any rules.”
For those interested in purchasing a coffee, meal or treat, visit www.facebook.com/mainstcoffeenc to stay up to date with the business’s latest adjustments due to COVID-19.
Amie Knowles is a reporter for NWNC Magazine.
