“That was really beautiful to watch,” he said. And for Sturton, seeing that relatively ordinary moment is what he said business is all about: providing customers not only with handcrafted coffee, but also a well-crafted experience.
Sturton began his coffee career more than 12 years ago, and in that time, he has gone from working behind the bar making beverages to traveling the world buying coffee beans. When his wife took a job at UNC, the two quickly settled on making Carrboro their home.
“We ended up looking at Durham and Raleigh, and the realtor showed us Carrboro, and after wandering around, we just fell in love with it,” he said. “We have a home literally across the street, where I can walk to work and my wife can walk to work.”
Gray Squirrel Coffee Co. has been open for just under a month, but through Sturton’s meticulous work and dedicated employees, it has steadily made a name for itself in Carrboro.
“It’s my most favorite coffee selection around here,” customer Sarah Honer said. “It really reminds me of my time spent in the Bay Area. I’m here as often as I can be.”
After spending time getting to know his community, Sturton set out to find his own space to open a small walk-up coffee bar, but his vision changed when he met the owner of YesterYears Brewery, who asked if Sturton wanted to share a space.
Now nestled between the ArtsCenter and Cat’s Cradle, Gray Squirrel offers customers a limited menu of options, which Sturton spent weeks working on.
“There’s this old saying that it’s science and art, and I like to say coffee and roasting is science and art,” he said. “We’re not scientists, but we do like to consider ourselves artists. That being said, we do delve into the scientific side of things as much as we can.”
