Brandy and I met on the internet… where most relationships start these days! She had three boys and was moving to the Dripping Springs / Driftwood area and we began chatting back and forth on Insta! I have loved watching her create small events for women to have deeper connection and was definitely interested in learning more about her new coffee shop and whiskey bar- Sonder Coffee Lounge!
It will be open in the red barn at the entrance to La Ventana in Driftwood in a few short weeks so ya’ll be sure to follow along and check it out. Meet my friend, Brandy!
Hey Brandy! Tell us more about your and your family!
My husband and I moved here from WA state almost two years ago with our three boys. We were ready for a change, and it was either Texas or Hawaii (where my husband is from) but Texas won, so here we are.
Matt runs his own construction and remodel business, and we began homeschooling our boys this year. We have loved immersing them in everything we do at the barn, and it’s been really fun to have them be a part of what we are creating here. We hope to show them that they can chase their dreams and nothing is off limits for them.
What brought you to Dripping Springs?
Our move to this area literally came from a feeling; a nudge that this was the right place for us. I came to visit with a friend to check out hill country after we decided we wanted to make a move to Texas. We had a whole plan of visiting so many different towns, but I called my husband after spending the day in dripping, and told him I found the place. There was just something about it that felt right and I could totally envision our life here.
We technically ended up in Driftwood, but I definitely chalk that up to fate because that’s exactly what led us to discovering the red barn and everything sort of snow balled from there.
What do you love most about this area?
I think my favorite thing about this area is the community aspect. This place is obviously growing like crazy, but I feel like most people I’ve met here still want to keep that “small town” feeling alive.
That’s actually a big goal of ours with the barn; deepen the sense of closeness and community in an area that’s exploding. Not an easy feat, but I think it can be done, and I look forward to doing my part in bringing people together.
How did you settle on moving to the country and having big dreams for the red barn?
The journey of the barn… it’s a long one honestly, and it’s filled with a lot of figuring out what doesn’t work lol. The name, Celestial Vista, was the easiest part and there is a story behind that name that I’ll share another day. I will say, the first time we saw it, I knew it was going to be something. I have a very big and dreamy brain, and my husband is the logical one who knows how to bring those ideas into reality; we make a good team.
After tons of different ideas, he came to me one day and said “we should put a coffee shop in there.” I’ll be honest, I wasn’t into the idea at first. It seemed overwhelming and I didn’t know the first thing about starting a coffee shop.
Drinking coffee?
Obsessed.
Spending a day in a cute coffee shop?
The best.
But starting one?
Intimidating.
The turning point for me was the idea of what a coffee shop could do; bring people together.
The thought that we could create something that could bring strangers into a space and help create more community in this area is the thing that won me over, and here we are.
The name, Sonder, really ties into that idea as well. You can look up the definition, but it’s a word that really speaks to the interconnectedness of life, which I love.
And bringing Seattle coffee to hill country? I literally cannot wait.
My favorite family owned coffee co in Seattle will be here at Sonder, and I’m looking forward to introducing it to our neighbors.
Phase two is a whiskey lounge/tasting room.
Speak easy, intimate type vibes.
And that was surprisingly my idea. I create my own events for women with the goal of creating a space that can foster connection and friendship. One day I found myself pondering on how something like that for men could be really amazing, and is really needed. How could you get a bunch of men sitting down, hanging out, sharing their thoughts and feelings??
Enter my idea of an intimate space where you can sip whiskey and really get to know those around you. Will it work?! I’ll keep you posted lol. There is a lot of intention behind these ideas, and as these things come to exist I think they will take on a life of their own and have a cool impact on the future friends who come through our doors.
Tell us about your journey into turning the red barn into an event space and then a coffee lounge and whiskey bar…
We have a pretty big vision for the barn overall. When we started we agreed that any idea that came to the table would need to fall under the umbrella of “is it bringing people together? Are we adding value?”
The barn can be rented out as an event space, but as for as what we aim to create: Community events, night markets, art shows, and live music. When we started this, I hadn’t even considered live music but when someone approached us asking about it, it sort of turned into this big idea spiral and now we can’t unsee it.
Live music, especially acoustic, is top of our list for what we want to bring to Celestial Vista.
I think it’s so inspiring to see people putting their heart and soul into their music, so we are really excited to get that going. I want people to walk into the barn and coffee shop and feel the magic and the inspiration in the space.
Feel the intention behind it all.
Visually, we are marrying my very hippie, plants, earthy vibe with my husbands rugged, Texas, cowboy vibe.
I’m actually super excited about the design piece and am very lucky to have an amazing friend who is a phenomenal designer. She helps me bring my vision for the space to life. I want it to be a place that the community falls in love with.
A space that has you leaving feeling inspired. I also have big dreams and ideas of retreats and workshops here for women (maybe men too eventually.) I’m a huge fan and advocate of personal growth and really getting to know yourself on a soul level, and I do mean that in the hippie way it sounds. Probably about 8 years ago I felt like I really lost myself in motherhood; I was a mom and wife but where did Brandy go? That kinda sent me down a path of rediscovering who I was.
Reigniting my own dreams and goals because I knew I could be an amazing mom, wife, but also ME. Right now personal growth is very trendy and everyone says they have the secret to how to be your best self, but I’ve found that the path of growth is personal and is going to look different for every person.
So I want to create opportunities for people to come and try some different things on for themselves; yoga, human design (that’s my specialty) journaling workshops, breath-work, guest speakers…. The ideas never stop. But the big picture is to be a place where there are options for anyone wanting to learn more about themselves, and make a connection with others who want the same. See, there is that community theme again. It’s a driving force I can’t seem to get away from.
When will you open to the public?
Sonder Coffee will be open next month.
People can follow up on our ig: @sondercoffeelounge if they want to keep in the know.
And celestial vista has a fb biz page as well as an ig: @celestialvista
We hope the community will follow along as we continue to build this dream and transform this barn into an event space everyone can love. We also welcome ideas and collaborations so don’t hesitate to reach out.
Love this area and want to move here? I’m a local real estate agent and would be happy to help you buy or sell real estate in this area! There is such a vibrant scene of beautiful neighborhoods and fun things to do making Driftwood and Dripping a hot spot for people seeking adventure and a unique lifestyle. Call or email me today to get started! 512-569-8480 or laurenclark@magnoliarealty.com
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