Co-owner of Sip This coffee shop, Stephanie Pontillo is serving sweet and savory delights and working to strengthen a sense of community for the residents of Valley Stream.
Co-owner of Sip This coffee shop
During their teenage years, Stephanie Pontillo 鈥�08 and her group of friends were always looking for somewhere unique to hang out.
As a student at Adelphi, Ms. Pontillo and longtime friend Dave Sabatino took trips to visit friends who went away to different colleges. 鈥淲e weren鈥檛 really bar people; we went out to explore the small towns and always discovered coffee shops and cute places to spend our time,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e would have loved something like these when we were younger, instead of roaming the streets and stopping in at 7-Elevens.鈥�
She and her friends daydreamed about starting such a place together, but it wasn鈥檛 until Ms. Pontillo and Mr. Sabatino brainstormed during a long car ride upstate in January 2010 that they started to get serious. The idea for the coffee house was born.
The two knew exactly where they wanted to reside; Rockaway Avenue, the 鈥渄owntown鈥� of their hometown Valley Stream. 鈥淩ockaway Avenue is our business district, and it needed something,鈥� said Ms. Pontillo, who felt they had the potential to bring new life to this street with their establishment. 鈥淲e wanted to create a place where we would get to know customers and that the whole community could enjoy.鈥�
Fast forward to August 20, 2011, the day Sip This opened its doors, and they were on their way to achieving that goal. Today they are serving delicious coffee drinks and desserts, with the names of their specialties referencing the town鈥檚 high school mascots (Falcon Fury or Spartans Surge) and important Valley Stream landmarks and streets (Rockaway Rocket and Fat Fletcher). 听听
But Ms. Pontillo and Sabatino are interested in even more than just serving sweet and savory delights. Sip This is committed to 鈥渂eing there鈥� for their Valley Stream community鈥攈osting events, supporting and working with other local businesses, and creating opportunities for residents to get involved.
They have certainly created a welcoming atmosphere, with cohorts ranging from business associates to mommy groups to book clubs meeting at Sip This. 鈥淲e never announced that people could meet here鈥eople just started coming, and we thought that was great,鈥� she said. ABC鈥檚 and TLC鈥檚 鈥淢y Strange Addiction鈥� have even come to the coffee house to film for their programs.
The walls of Sip This are donned with the work of local artists. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard for them to find a place on Long Island to display their work, so now we feature a different artist ever month.鈥� They are already booked through the end of 2014. Every other week they host open mic nights. 鈥淭hese young kids are so talented, but nobody is listening to them anywhere else. They come here and they play and they cheer each other on,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so nice.鈥�
The space Sip This is in had been one of Long Island’s longest running record stores. 鈥淭here was a cool history there,鈥� said Ms. Pontillo, who explained that the name for their coffee shop plays off of the prior owner鈥檚 name, Slipped Disc Records.
Paying homage to the previous life of this storefront location, on the wall when you first walk into the coffee shop is framed memorabilia from the record store and T-shirts designed by Slipped Disc鈥檚 former owner. The first Friday of every month they also host a Bring Your Own Vinyl musical event in which people are invited to bring records from their personal collections to buy, sell, trade or have incorporated into the mix of music being played that evening.
While Sip This celebrated their two year anniversary on August 20, 2013, its owners feel like they are just beginning. Their short-term goals include getting an oven, so Ms. Pontillo can bake desserts in-house, and down the road they hope to expand their space, get a liquor license as well as a full kitchen. 鈥淲e have schools and lots of office buildings right by us. If they don鈥檛 feel like going to the deli, we鈥檇 like to be able to serve them here.鈥�
Ms. Pontillo says there鈥檚 never a day that her phone isn鈥檛 on her in anticipation of a call from an employee, never a day she鈥檚 not thinking about Sip This. But she loves what she does. 鈥淭here are people who actually say 鈥榯hank you for opening鈥� all the time. And I鈥檓 just like, 鈥榶ou鈥檙e welcome.鈥� Because that was the whole point of Sip This,鈥� she said. 鈥淭o provide something that wasn鈥檛 there.鈥�
Sip This coffee house is offering Adelphi alumni 10 percent off their purchase, just mention your affiliation to Adelphi when you check out! Visit Adelphi鈥檚 for other discounts.听
Ms. Pontillo talks about what it takes to get a business off the ground:
Words of Wisdom:听Whatever you think it is going to cost and however much time you think it鈥檚 going to take, just double it right off the bat. Don鈥檛 be surprised鈥on鈥檛 be discouraged when it鈥檚 taking longer than expected.On Social Media:听It鈥檚 a must. It helped us get the word out about Sip This in the beginning. And now, the morning of a special or an event, we can announce it via social media and it reaches thousands instantly. Print ads are so expensive. We did them at first and didn鈥檛 know how many people we were getting from them. You can get more of a sense of how many people you鈥檙e reaching with .听听
It’s all about who you know:听Be nice to people. Don鈥檛 burn bridges. We did a career day at a local high school and I reminded the students that you never know who you are meeting or who that person might become. Remember who you know, because you might need them someday鈥hat鈥檚 what happened to us.
What have you been doing since you graduated from Adelphi?
If you鈥檝e started your own organization or program or are engaged in innovative work,听let Adelphi know!听We want to share your business or other success with the young alumni community in the future.
For further information, please contact:
Todd Wilson
Strategic Communications Director听
p 鈥� 516.237.8634
e 鈥� twilson@adelphi.edu