When you shop locally $68 of every $100 you spend stays in your community. Compare this to the $43 out of $100 that stays in the community when you shop at big name stores and you might consider switching out a few of your regular spots. Additionally, as imperfect humans there?s some spots we frequent more than we care to admit and, well, we just can?t live without. Coffee, sweet treats, and a little TLC for our spa needs are a few of them. After extensive research (plus some trial and error), we?ve determined the best places to get your local fixes that will make you feel better about indulging in your guilty pleasures.
Caffeine
Its 2 p.m. You ate too much for lunch and your productivity output is about to hit the negatives. Then you remember that chocolate caramel whipped cream concoction you saw in the Starbucks window and it sounds like the perfect fix. Then again, the chances of that barista misspelling your name are almost certain, and though delicious, the humiliation might not be worth the cost. Below are a few of the best local coffee spots that are worth every dollar (and get your name right, too).?
Stingers Coffee
Since opening in 2005, family-owned and operated Stingers Coffee has grown to two locations in Corpus Christi. The most recent location opened on the South Side and features a meeting room, a board game corner, and a full-service coffee bar. Their Gulfway Shopping Center location offers a lovely spacious outdoor patio where you can enjoy your coffee and sweet treats. Both locations offer free Wi-Fi for customers to kick back and relax or for students who are looking for a new study spot.
Owner Holly Borcher stresses the importance of shopping local as it gives directly back to the community. As a result, Stingers partners with local diary suppliers and bakeries to provide the best and freshest products for their customers. ?When you visit Stinger?s, you?re more than just a name on a cup,? Borcher says.
Our Recommendations: Toasted Marshmallow Mocha, Frozen Vanilla Latte (with whip if you?re feeling adventurous), and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Island Joes Coffee and Gallery
Located on Padre Island, Island Joes Coffee and Gallery is constructed of 10 shipping containers assembled into the most eclectic coffee shop you?ll ever visit. With leasable offices upstairs, a large outside patio, a TV area, and a sizable coffee bar there?s more than enough space and activities to keep anyone entertained. The shop even displays stunning island life photographs taken by the owner himself. They offer an extensive and delicious selection of coffee drinks along with baked goods, handcrafted sandwiches, and fresh salads.
Island Joe?s feels strongly about shopping local as it invests time and resources into the growth of our community and in producing quality products. In turn, all their coffee beans are roasted in house. ?Every drop from roasted bean to cup is made with tender love and care,? says manager Rachel Mae.
Our Recommendations: Sea Turtle, Mexican Vanilla Latte, and French Press (If you?re a black coffee, no-frills type.)
Sweet Treats
The sweet tooth: an intense and immense craving for sugary goodness that you can?t resist but your dentist probably wishes you did. Nonetheless, here are a few local options that will satisfy even the fiercest sweet cravings and won?t break the bank.?
Double Dipt
Found in a hidden corner downtown, Double Dipt might be the hidden treasure of your dreams. Alas, we all want to be the Nicolas Cage of our circle and if you take your family and friends to Double Dipt they will be thanking you for an eternity. Starring their homemade ice cream, Double Dipt offers a range of ice cream toppings, coffee, homemade milk shakes, homemade ice cream, and made-to-order sandwiches. Owners Michael Movsesian and Lynn Nelson opened the shop in late 2018 because they couldn?t find an ice cream shop up to their standards. They both encourage shopping local as it showcases local talent and allows people to give back to their community. No where else in the city can you get homemade ice cream served to you by the business owners who made it themselves.
Our Recommendations: Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream, Adult Grilled Cheese, and Coffee Frappe Yummmm (with a scoop of your favorite ice cream, the possibilities are endless)
Scoopy's Veranda Ice Cream Shoppe
Nestled right next to one of the best seafood restaurants in the area, Scoopy?s Veranda Ice Cream Shoppe is the perfect spot to stop by after a beach day. Scoopy?s overlooks the water with plenty of indoor seating if you need to cool down or patio side tables if you need to soak up a little more sun. They offer Texas favorite Bluebell Ice Cream, baked goodies, and caf? style sandwiches. Not many other places nearby can offer ice cream with a view quite like theirs.
Our Recommendations: Key Lime Pie, BLT Pita Sandwich, and Bluebell Cookies & Cream (on a cone of course)
TLC
It has been a long, stressful week and you look how you feel on the inside: frazzled. There?s no denying we all need some tender loving care occasionally, and while Supercuts might be convenient, you?ll end up with the same haircut as half the city. Below are some local stylish options that will bring out the inner model in all of us.
Design Concepts Salon & Boutique
Being in business for 22 years, it?s safe to say Design Concepts knows what they?re doing. They offer a luxurious salon, a trendy boutique, manicures, pedicures, and facials. Manager Lisa Sutter expressed how important Design Concepts feels it is to support the community by shopping local and hiring aspiring stylists. As a summit salon, Design Concepts is a career-driven salon that focuses on helping their employees achieve their professional and personal goals. Their service reflects their dedication to their employees, ?We want everyone to feel at home when they visit us. Here you get more than a service; you get an experience,? Sutter says.
Our Recommendations: Brazilian Blowout (You?ll feel like a whole new person), and Balayage (Ask for Bekah)
Frizzeez
Although Frizzeez may be a fairly new salon (opened in 2017), owner Lisa Gonzalez is not new to the salon industry. Working in the salon business for more than 10 years and being a Cosmetology instructor at Del Mar, she wanted to create a salon that provided a relaxing environment while providing phenomenal service. They offer balayge, highlights, all over haircolor, men and women?s haircuts, and a complementary wine and coffee bar.
Gonzalez grew up in Corpus Christi and is an advocate for shopping local as it?s money that stays in the community. As a result, the mother and daughter-owned salon spends its hard-earned money back into the community in order to keep the city thriving. ?We only use quality products and will never do any service that will affect the integrity of hair. Unlike some who would sacrifice healthy hair for a quick fix, we make sure your hair looks its best while maintaining its strength and beauty,? Gonzales says.
Our recommendations: All over color (Want purple and healthy hair? Look no further), and Women?s haircut (Ask for Katy)
There?s no losing when you can treat both yourself and your community. So, go ahead and have that extra cup of coffee, those sprinkles on your ice cream, and that turquoise hair you?ve always wanted. We won?t judge you.
