Hannah and Michael are two of the most genuine, good-hearted people I’ve met while doing this project. Unfortunately, my lens backfocused while taking their portraits and photos of their restaurant. I was only able to salvage two photos from this interview. Neither of these photos do this interview justice.
I walked into the Sweetwater Coffee Bar & Gallery right around closing. As soon as I talked to Michael, the owner, about how his business was handling during the pandemic, his first words were, “It’s been hard, really really hard.”
Michael owns the Cafe and Gallery along with his wife, Sloane, who is the artist behind much of the restaurant’s artwork. I had the opportunity to talk with Michael and their daughter, Hannah who has been working at the family business since her university transitioned online.
Hannah: “We actually bought this restaurant two days before everything was shut down in Florida. We were planning on opening within a week of buying it, but we weren’t able to open until the middle of May. When we opened it was a really slow start, and it’s just now starting to pick up with the rest of the city reopening as well as city hall and some of the museums. It’s been weird though. Everyone is kind of afraid to go out right now.”
Michael: “St. Augustine closed way earlier [than the rest of the state]. They got out ahead of it, so we haven’t had many cases here. The city did awesome. It’s a great city, everyone is great. They’re very supportive of small businesses.”
Me: “Do you feel safe?”
Michael: “Oh, a hundred percent. The city has been incredible with everything. They’ve taken care of all the people who own restaurants. We’re really happy to be here.”
Me: “Is there anything you’d like to say specifically to people who are reading this?”
Michael: “Just that St. Augustine is a really safe place to come. They take care of and clean everything. It’s really just an awesome city.”
Despite the global pandemic, the family seemingly refuses to let anything get in the way of being caring human beings. Twice during our interview Michael interrupted to give us ice-cold water and even a cookie, saying that it was important to stay safe on a hot day. Interviewing people like this father/daughter duo is what motivates me to keep this project going.
-Michael and Hannah (St. Augustine, Florida)
