Twenty-seven-year-old Carissa Layne is a college student, mother of two young children and owner of one of the most popular and successful new businesses in Grundy County.
Layne was a stay-a-home mom until her first child started to school. “I knew that if I was going to take the leap and go to work to pay my kiddos’ medical bills, I was going to go where the money was. I walked into Hooters in Murfreesboro, and even though I had never done any serving or bartending in my life, I got a job. Within three months, they made me a bartender. They just threw me into it. I caught on very well and was assigned to the Nashville Hooters. This meant I was driving from Grundy County to Nashville every day. I was also taking a few classes at Motlow State during that time.
“It wasn’t a job I wanted to do, but it paid the bills and got me out of debt. I was then able to sit back and figure out what I did want to do. I started looking for something closer to home. I distinctly remember a point one day when I was driving home from Nashville, thinking, ‘I need to do something for ME. I can be successful and do something good for my community. I have a servant’s heart. I’m going to have to do something to make a living, so I want it to be something I enjoy and that can help me meet my goals.’
“In early 2021, I went to work at Monteagle Nutrition, which provides healthy smoothies, shakes, coffees, frappes and energy beverages. I really enjoyed working for Kelli and Jimmy Jarman who owned the business and several others like it in adjoining counties. While working there, I saw how much people loved these products and how they were helping people feel better. I wanted to open my own store and make these products available to more people. Kelli and Jimmy encouraged me and mentored me when I started my own store, and we still help each other out when needed. Our stores are ‘sister stores.’
“When I found this building in Coalmont and the opportunity to open my own business presented itself, I put everything I had into it. I literally invested everything I had. I did all the remodeling myself with the help of family and friends, and it was a BIG job. But we got it done. On opening day, I spent my last $35 buying ice. I remember so distinctly thinking, ‘This is either going to be great, or it is going to break me.’ My first day took off and blossomed, and it has been better than I could ever have dreamed. We have a line out the door every day. Although I was hopeful, I never dreamed it would be so popular in a small town like Coalmont. It helps that our location is great — close to the high school. We get lots of students and lots of teachers — they need those energy drinks!
“Our products are all herbal teas, and you can add a supplement depending on what your needs are — collagen, heart health, hydration, extra energy and so on. They all have B vitamins, caffeine if you want it, immunities and aloe for digestion. They are good for you, and they do what they say they will do. They’re sweetened with stevia instead of sugar so there aren’t a lot of empty calories. It is a different kind of energy than you get from sugar. We call it a ‘happy energy.’ All our teachers love it.
“We have a wide variety of flavors, and we make up drinks of our own. I think my bartending skills really help with that. We try to come up with crazy, funny names for the drinks to keep it interesting. We base the names on what they look like and how they taste.
For example, the Tiger’s Blood is red — cherry and strawberry — and kind of like an Icee, and the Golden Girls includes the tropical flavors. One of our most popular is the Aqua Man. It is blue, and I’ve had people who couldn’t make up their mind say, ‘So this tastes like a blue Jolly Rancher? I’ll have that one.’
“We also make up special drinks for holidays like Halloween, and on the day of the high school homecoming, I was like, ‘We have to have a tea for that!’ so we made one up. My girls are great at coming up with new drinks and catchy names. I have six employees; two trained to be managers so they can take over if I need to be gone. They are a great help. Very creative. They do all the artwork on the chalkboard wall since I am NOT artistic.
“Every couple of months, we erase the whole thing and completely redo the board and menu. We do keep a few of our best sellers on the menu, but we add new ones based on the season. For Christmas, we have a Christmas Cookie shake, a Grandma’s Pie shake, Gingerbread coffee, Peppermint Mocha, a S’mores coffee and some cool hot chocolate recipes as well.
“Since we opened in the heat of August, most of our sales have been iced drinks — this is mainly a tea shop. However, with the cold weather heading our way, I think we will be selling more of the hot drinks. I would love for the coffees, my favorite, and the shakes and juices to take off, but we stay so busy, I don’t know if we could keep up! That’s a good problem to have. The store has done so well, I have plans in the works for opening another store in Tracy City and one in Estill Springs.
“I am also starting back to school next semester to finish my last couple of classes at Motlow State Community College. When I get both of my children in school, I plan to complete a degree in pre-law at Trevecca University in Nashville, then hopefully go on to law school. I believe that my current business is helping the community, but I think I could do more to help. To do so, I need to be educated. I am one of those people who, if I am going to be involved in something, I have to head it up. So I want to learn more about government and the law. Although I haven’t had any business classes yet, my whole family is in the real estate business, so I have grown up in a family-owned business.
They tell me that when they asked me what I wanted for Christmas when I was 3, I said ‘real estate.’ “Now I think it has come full circle. I think about all the times driving back and forth to Nashville, counting out change to pay for gas, to where I am now with a successful business. It is surreal. I am so grateful for the community. If it weren’t for the people of this community standing behind me, this business could not have been so successful. I really give them all the credit for my success.”