GALION – A Galion grad is getting a “jolt” out of her newest business venture.
Monica Davis is the owner of Sweet Bubble & Bean, a coffee shop on wheels. Her mini trailer is ready to brew its first cup of java and serve up a variety of hot and cold beverages to customers on the streets of downtown Centerburg.
“My husband and I did everything ourselves. We started from a brand-new trailer and we flipped it into a mini kitchen on the inside,” said Davis. “He has done pretty much everything. I’m the one that kind of has a vision.”
Davis, a native of Galion, has equipped the trailer with an espresso machine made in Italy. She’s also roasting French-pressed coffee, cold brew, and offering popular Bubble tea and lemonade beverages along with a variety of flavored syrups.
The former Monica Sizemore, a 2003 Galion High School graduate, went on to the University of Akron and landed a human resources job with Nationwide Insurance in Columbus.
She also worked in HR for nine years at ArcelorMittal in Shelby and Marion.
Throughout the years, however, she always remembered her part-time gig at Starbucks during college.
“I would always tell people it was my favorite job. The atmosphere was so much fun. I loved creating drinks and being able to talk to people.”
In 2020 she spotted an old food truck trailer for sale and started thinking more about the concept of a mobile coffee business. With full support from her husband, Toby, she resigned from ArcelorMittal in July to finally pursue her dream.
“You know we only live once.
I kept telling my husband I’m tired of sitting in front of a computer all the time,” said Davis, who has an 11-year-old daughter, Emmie. “Now I’m switching it up and starting a whole new adventure.”
Her black 12- by 6-1/2-foot Darkhorse cargo trailer features sleek countertops and a functional three-compartment sink. The generator is being mounted this week, along with the decals and business logo for Sweet Bubble & Bean.
Once the health inspection is complete, Davis said the coffee service should be open by the end of August. First stop?
In front of Hometown Market, a local grocery store on Route 3 where it will initially be parked one or two days a week.
Davis also plans to book the trailer for wedding receptions and other special events. “I think this is something that’s different. It can kind of be geared around the people you have at your wedding and it’s definitely something fun for kids, too.”
Either way, it’s coffee time for this entrepreneur.
“A lot of times I think people have these dreams and it really is something that’s possible,” Davis said. “Right now, I’m living proof of doing something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I couldn’t be more excited about this new venture.”