We had the good fortune of connecting with Caleb Holland and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Caleb, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Simply put, it was always our dream to, so we just figured it out to make it happen. My wife Moriah and I had always wanted to start a coffee shop together since we first started dating, and our friends Elliot and Maddi had always wanted to start a studio to rent out to independent beauty professionals, so when Elliot and Maddi found the place to start their studio, and there was a perfect place for a coffee shop in the front, we decided to combine our dreams into one!
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
There’s lots of coffee in Arizona, even on our block. Where we have set ourselves apart is we aim to satisfy they entire sensory experience. We want the smell of the shop to draw you further in, we want the walls and the furniture to delight your eyes, and more importantly than both of those we want the drinks to blow you away. When craft our drinks, we have to not only make them delicious, we have to fascinate you with its visuals. Coffee is more than just coffee. If you want, you can’t turn your espresso drink into a cocktail with all of its intricacies and garnishes.
It makes it difficult to source product, and to make the drinks because now we’re using unique ingredients that are more difficult to get ahold of in bulk but we’re also now having to worry about how every drink looks leaving the bar. Plus, coming up with the drinks is a whole project in itself!
However, when you are doing what you love, and keep in mind this is supposed to be done unto the glory of God, it sets a fire in you that makes the toughest projects a treasure.
Again, that’s the biggest motive for us.
Are we building treasures up here, our own private little kingdom unto ourselves, or are we reminding ourselves every day that this entire thing is a gift from Him, and that it’s for Him and that every customer should see a small and imperfect picture of Christs love for us when they’re greeted by us. We don’t want to end our lives with people just thinking we were nice and our coffee was good. We want people to see what a business can look like if the foundation is in Christ.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would have no idea where to begin! Phoenix is so large and encompassing, I would need more than a week. I’d take them to literally every coffee shop within an hour of us, (Peixoto, Mythical, Moxie to name a few!)
That’s primarily what I spend my free time doing! That, movie theaters, and thrift shops. Road House Cinemas is my go to for movies, their food and drinks are petty reasonably priced and their Tuesday night ticket prices are *chef kiss*. The Good Will bins are going to have the best vintage clothes finds for thrifting, however the environment is not for the faint of heart. It is sweaty, crowded, the lines are long and the other customers can be very competitive. So if that’s not your idea if a fun time thrifting, the best curated vintage shops are gonna be Old Habits and Wangs!
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There is too many people to count. Most importantly, (and I know this sounds extremely corny to some but it’s more true than anything), we owe every bit of the idea and any amount of success to Christ. As far as we are concerned, if this business is not done in excellence for the glory of God and the furthering of the Gospel, it’s total vanity. At the end of my life, I don’t want to be known as someone with a cool coffee shop, I want to be someone who’s labors pointed out of myself and to Christ. The Bible is the first book I start with in any are of life. If Christ is King, and the gospel is going to be spread across the entire world and in every area of life, that includes the coffee industry, and that coffee better be absolutely incredible. As far as people in my life goes, Maddi, Elliot, my wife Moriah (co owners) immediately come to mind. If it wasn’t for any one of these individuals, the shop wouldn’t be possible. They each bring something so vital and unique to the shop. I’m also extremely grateful for my parents example in how much of their own lives they poured into their businesses.
Website: lightheartcoffee.com
Instagram: lightheartcoffeeshop
Yelp: Light Heart Coffee
Image Credits
Moriah Holland