Meet Ceaira Thompson | Owner @ Ceaira’s Sweet Shop, Owner @ Grand Lake Cookie Company

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ceaira Thompson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ceaira, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I worked for the previous owners of my ice cream shop for 2 years before I bought it. In that time, I learned how to do everything their way, the “right way”. I trusted in their methods of doing business and I never once questioned it because if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. It took years for it to dawn on me that even though everything they did worked, perhaps I could do it even better. Once I shifted my thinking, I figured out how to get my shipments cheaper, how to better retain employees, buy an improved POS system, change my disposables to cuter (and more cost effective) options, create a website, the list goes on! After all my changes, my yearly sales are now almost double what they were for the previous owners! Never settle for doing things the old way. Get creative and your business will grow!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Ceaira’s Sweet Shop is a cute little ice cream shop on the boardwalk of mountainy Grand Lake, CO (a town right at the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park). At the shop you will find hand scooped ice cream, flavorburst soft serve, ice cream sandwiches, snow cones, sundaes, floats, shakes, taffy & more! I have been working tirelessly to perfect my cookie recipes in order to fully launch my second business, Grand Lake Cookie Company, which I intend to sell cookies online year round and in store at my shop during the summers. Keep an eye out for it and if you’re ever in the mountains of Colorado, come buy a treat!

Originally referred to as “The Sweet Shop”, a young woman started this business back in 1953 to create a job for herself during summers. Then in 1955, the Sweet Shop was renamed “Bonnie’s Sweet Shop”, owned and operated by a 12 year old girl named Bonnie. In 1957, the business was then sold to Pauline Smith and was given the name “Polly’s Sweet Shop”. Polly’s Sweet Shop has since thrived under a few different owners throughout the years, primarily run by women!

Finally, in 2014, I start working at Polly’s Sweet Shop and that’s where my story begins! For two years I worked for the previous owners and at the end of the season in 2016, I purchased the shop at 24 years old. What no one knew at the time, was that I was also pregnant with my first child. The father was a long time friend and let’s just say it didn’t end well, so by the time I gave birth I was a single mom. Being a single new mom the first year of owning a business was HARD. At all times, I was barely squeaking by. My friends and family all lived 2.5 hours away, I was usually alone. The huge payments I made to pay off the shop were impossible, everything would break, I would be at work all day and be up with my baby all night. I will never forget the amount of stress I felt at all times. I remember doing errands for the shop one day and I just sat in my car and tried to stay calm. I imagined that there were waves crashing around me and that I was trying my hardest to keep my face above water. It felt like it took everything in my soul to not drown.

I didn’t give up, even though I wanted to most of the time. I kept my head down, worked hard to improve the business and luckily my family was always there for me and for my son. Years later, Im happily married and my business is better than ever. My now 5 year old son is amazing and he loves his 2 year old brother so much ( we hope to have a third and final child also)! The shop will be fully paid off by the end of the year, sales are great, I changed the name to Ceaira’s Sweet Shop which meant the world to me, and I breathe easy knowing my life is better than I ever could’ve imagined!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Grand Lake, CO is breathtaking and a must-see for nature lovers! When a friend comes up to visit, I always love to take them to the marina for a boat tour. They take you out on the water and show you the gorgeous scenery, tell you some history about the town, and point out some awesome lake houses. For breakfast/coffee you have to hit up Bighorn Bagels, they have delicious bagel breakfast sandwiches. Lunch at Cy’s Deli is wonderful, sometimes its hard to catch them open for business but when they are, you must get it! For dinner, I love the new spot One Love Rum Kitchen, hands down they have the most flavorful food that you’ll find in town. For dessert, obviously you need to come visit me at Ceaira’s Sweet Shop on the boardwalk. If you go to Grand Lake you must hike to Adam’s Falls, its a hike that is fairly easy for most and you get to see the waterfall. More experienced hikers can continue on and find beautiful spots. My favorite hotel is the Gateway Inn, great value and great views. Best place to grab a drink is World’s End Brewpub, the owners are so cool and in the bar the ceiling is covered in one dollar bills from its visitors, you gotta put one up there! The theater in town has great live shows, always a good idea to see one. And finally, my favorite event is when the Arts and Crafts Fair is in town! So many booths are set up in the park and I always find the coolest things there.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to my Mom! The first few years after buying a business is incredibly stressful and you suffered through it with me. You always tried your hardest to encourage and support me during those years, even when things felt impossible. Without you there is no way I would have been able to hold onto the business, let alone thrive. You are a huge part of my success and I couldn’t have done it without you.

Website: sweetgrandlake.com

Instagram: @ceairassweetshop

Facebook: @ceairassweetshop

Yelp: Ceaira’s Sweet Shop