Spotlight ✨ Sunday ✨ // Adam Reeves -- The Stormy Teacup

Photo courtesy of Adam Reeves

Initially, this week's Spotlight Sunday was meant to be about The Stormy Teacup; the artisan cafe that can be found down Foxes Bow in Limerick. The cafe is a place to go if you want to get away from the loud and sometimes hectic streets of Limerick. A place to sit back on an armchair and enjoy one of the many specialty teas they offer - I would recommend the Spiced Orange or Apple Grass. I went in to The Stormy Teacup thinking I'd interview the boss in order to get a little history behind the cafe, especially because the cafe temporarily closed back in 2015 but was reopened under new management. There was a young man serving and after he took my order I asked him was the boss usually around. I was picturing the boss to be some Limerick business man in his late 50's who owned several cafes across Limerick and who had a lifetime of experience; knowing what cafes the people of Limerick were looking for. The Stormy Teacup reopened just as artisan cafes were beginning to take off in Ireland so I assumed this guy knew his stuff. Anyway, the young man kinda laughed and replied with a yes. When I asked when did he typically come in, Adam - the young man -just shrugged his shoulders and said "well, now. I'm here."

The Stormy Teacup:

So when we did actual sit down and chat, I learned a few things about Adam Reeves; firstly, he's 20 years old and reopened The Stormy Teacup when he was just 19. Secondly, he's glad he left college after his first year because he believes there are things you can't learn in a lecture hall but by experiencing them in life. And thirdly, he will never open another Stormy in Galway, because it's expected. Adam is a conversationalist and has an easy-going attitude you find often in young men from Ireland, making him an ideal barista. Combined with his awareness of the business world and how it works, makes him a strong business owner. He knows how to flip a weakness into a strength, evident in one instance where a woman complained on Stormy's Facebook page about the price of a slice of banana bread. This was Adam's response 👇🏽

And some more delicious treats The Stormy Teacup offers

Being able to turn a negative into a positive using the power of social media is a skill that only the best marketers have and something Adam can not only do but enjoys doing. He's also very honest about the business and how difficult it is to run one; regardless of age. But when I asked him to talk more about what's difficult in running a business, I could see - as though his facial expression was speaking for him and it could easily run off hundreds of things that are tough - he paused for a second. After considering his words he said..

"None of it is a walk in the park. You'll get a call, "Adam, the roof is leaking", and yeah, of course it is; what else! But when I take a step back, I see the opportunity I have been blessed with. I'm so grateful to have this and these problems. So when I got that call about the leak I was annoyed for a second but then I realized I have a leak in my cafe. The one that I own and that people love coming to."

When we talk about Limerick, it is clear Adam is fond of the city he was born in. He thinks there is something special about Limerick; a personality that has grown in terms of culture every year. He doesn't believe it was the City of Culture that made Limerick the way it is now but the people. He talks about standing in Thomond Park after a match or the chatter as people leave the stadium; that is what he thinks make Limerick Limerick. And as for The Stormy Teacup? He mentions there could be plans with the cafe but for now, he's keeping tight-lipped. But he does mentioned that the event space, Cabal, which can be found in the downstairs area of The Stormy Teacup, are making bookings for acts during the summer months. To keep up to date with upcoming events, you can find the Cabal page on FB here. And at the end of our chat Adam's phone rings. When he answers, it's clear it's something to do with Stormy. With a roll of his eyes he says he better go but I notice he's smiling as he walks away.