LARGO — Sunny Sip, a new drinks shops at 1764 N. Missouri Ave., certainly lives up to its name.
The business’s menu of unique drinks, coupled with a sun-splashed location adorned with a colorful mural, exudes warmth, charm and positive vibes on that busy stretch of road.
Owners Matt and Kimberly Mayberry hope those factors, combined with a mission to become an integral part of the community, help make their new venture a sipping success.
“This is our own brand, built from the ground up,” said Matt Mayberry, a former software salesman who ditched his corporate job to pursue an entrepreneurial dream. “I wanted to get out of the office and get involved in the community in a real way, to have a place that people want to come to and that can contribute to the community in a positive way.”
After researching the hottest trends and consulting with family members in the Midwest, Mayberry landed on a variant of the popular “dirty soda” craze.
“We didn’t want to be just another coffee place,” he said. “We knew that dirty sodas — or sodas loaded with toppings and syrups — are huge out west. So we went off that and built a business that has something for everyone.”
The Sunny Sip menu has five categories: espresso-based coffee drinks, sodas, lemonades, energy drinks and teas. Each drink is customizable with several options to choose from.
The menu features names like Electric Feel, Pump You Up, Lava Lamp and Wave Pool, and offers sugar-free and kids’ options.
“All the sodas are made to order,” Mayberry noted. “(We) carry over 70 syrups right now. So customers can order their drinks any way they want.”
There’s a walk-up counter, as well as an online app — what Mayberry calls the drink-thru through lane. He hopes to draw customers from Clearwater and Largo.
“We wanted to build relationships with both communities, based on where we’re located,” Mayberry said. “So I reached out to the Largo High art teachers and asked if they would allow their students to paint the mural on the outside wall. And I plan to do the same with Clearwater High.”
The six-week, student-led project also led to several store hires.
“I hope we’re part of lifting this part of town up a bit,” Mayberry said. “What we’re trying to do is be part of the neighborhood, for personal and business reasons.”
Kimberly Mayberry said the fact that Sunny Sip is a family affair — their 10-year-old daughter, Emma, regularly helps out — softened the blow when Matt proposed the leap from a cushy, corporate gig to a risky, retail start-up.
“It wouldn’t be the first time Matt’s put his mind to something and made it happen,” she said with a laugh. “But we got on board quickly and got excited about it when we saw how we all fit in. And we’re pinching ourselves now that all the hard work and sacrifices we made are starting to pay off.”
The Palm Harbor couple hopes to open three Sunny Sips in the next five years.
“I’d love to have one somewhere in North County,” Matt Mayberry said. “(But) our immediate goal is to make this place work.”