“We’ve changed faces a million times since March, and are just hoping we can continue.” Susan Scoggins, owner and operator of Maples coffee shop and bakery in Micaville, has been riding the waves of running a small business during a pandemic with fortitude and resourcefulness. Her shop, formerly located next to the OOAK Gallery, had only just moved to its new location across the parking lot (previously home to The Deck Ice Cream), when word reached of the spread of Covid-19 across the United States. “We were supposed to have our grand opening on March 17th, and the day beforehand we got our letter that said we had to close.”
Susan had known that something like this might be coming. A friend advised her in January that she may want to upgrade to heavy duty cleaning products. “She told me, ‘There’s the new germ out there, and things might be getting crazy.’ So I immediately began making sure that upped our level of cleanliness, and began so use lysol and disinfectants on the regular.” This level of care is typical of Susan, who is always trying to figure out how her business can enrich the local community in a mutually beneficial relationship.
Maples is located in Micaville, at 621 Micaville Loop #100 Burnsville, NC 28714
Maples functions not only as a much-needed wholesome watering hole at the crossroads of Celo, Burnsville, and Spruce Pine, but also as a hub for art and community. It’s called “the gathering spot” for a reason. In a town where the closest drive to a grocery store can be upwards of 20 minutes, it’s a great luxury to have a cozy place to gather with high speed internet, private work spaces, as well as public seating in the pathway of friendly patrons passing through. Pre-pandemic, Maples was host to open mics, local musician showcases, and regular poetry readings.
It is, in short, exactly the sort of local business that provides a point of connection for folks who often find themselves spending a lot of time at home in the countryside. It has also served as a place to draw in the business of tourists and seasonal visitors, who are presumably accustomed to the ready availability of a strong cup of coffee, and are compelled to browse and purchase wares from local artists at the neighboring shops. Visitors would often come into Maples to inquire about other places to patron, recommendations for hikes and restaurants, or get directions. And locals depend on Maples as one of the only places in the South Toe River Valley to grab a bite to eat on the go, or to peruse the bulletin board for events and service offerings.
Maples dining area turned mask-making station during the beginning of the pandemic.
When the letter arrived stating that businesses were required to close for the statewide lockdown, Susan’s first thought was, “Okay, where to go from here? The only thing I know is change always happens. But yes, I was scared. We had just moved into a larger space with larger rent; we were still painting. We’d had our soft opening a few weeks before, and it was so exciting. So many people came out. And then it all came to a crashing halt. So we had to adjust really quickly.”
In the immediate aftermath of lockdown, Maples received help in the form of guidelines from the Small Business Association and U.S. Foods, plus advice on how to proceed from unlikely sources. “I know it sounds crazy, but American Express was a big help. They sent us a kit. Our food service sent us videos of how to sanitize. We just started cleaning the heck out of everything.” She was eventually able to access an ELDL loan. All the same, her business would have gone under in the first three months, if it hadn’t been for the help of the locals.
Two community members set up a GoFundMe page, which provided Maples with enough income to float for all of March, April, and May. “We never would have been able to make it if it weren’t for that fundraiser,” says Susan. And, true to form, as the much needed help came in for the business, Susan focused on how her business could help the community. “I figured, since we had this great big space that nobody could come in, we might as well use it for something.” Which is how Maples became a temporary sewing space for producing masks. Maples was able to donate several masks to Yancey Mask Makers. To this day, the foyer of Maples remains open to the public as a location to drop off and acquire masks, as well as poetry books from the lending library.
After the initial push to keep head above rising water, the business began grappling with ways to function while maintaining proper social distancing practices. “We’re one of the only places that still doesn’t offer dine-in,” explains Susan, “I knew there would be lots of tourists coming through during the peak seasons, and I was concerned about being a danger to the community.” So, to do her part to contain community spread, Susan came up with some creative solutions. Limited hours for to-go orders and pick-ups, local wares for purchase in-store, and custom specialty orders for cakes, pies, and other baked goods. Patrons are required to wear masks and stand six feet apart, as is customary.
Susan counts herself lucky to have only had a couple of minor altercations with people who felt affronted by the mask mandate. “It’s hardly worth mentioning because it was over so quickly. But it was really shocking. Things like that just don’t happen in my world.” It is indeed a sign of the tense times we live in, when a small town bakery becomes the site of political conflict over a health code. “Almost everyone has been fine about it, though,” she reports. The pie orders were a huge success during the holidays, but the business has yet to fully recover. “It’s been way more slow, for all of the past year. It’s really only been since the holidays that I am starting to see more people come through. And we’re not out of the woods yet.”
Susan enjoys classic recipes, and creating and altering new recipes.
Susan started Maples with the vision of a space full of life and inundated with the goodness of her grandmother’s recipes. “I grew up in my grandmother’s kitchen. She’s the one who taught me to cook. My earliest memories are of sitting on her table...getting popped with bacon grease at the stove.” Susan never imagined herself running a coffee shop or bakery, but when her job at a flower shop in Weaverville came to end six years ago, the opportunity to lease the space for Maples opened up to her with perfect timing. “It really seemed like it was meant to be, it just all worked out,” says Susan.
These are the kind of origin stories that make places like Maples distinct from the interchangeable, impersonal big chain stores that pervade most other places. Businesses built from the ground up by an individual or family, come with heart and soul, express local color and culture, and, in turn, foster a shared sense of community identity. These are pursuits worth preserving. Susan’s favorite part of her job was always the people. More than anything, she says she misses and looks forward to the day when the doors can open wide again, and music, fellowship, and poetry can return to Maples at last.
Maples is closed temporarily in January, but will resume normal pandemic hours in February on Wednesdays-Saturdays from 11:00-4:00. Patrons can still place pick-up orders for cakes and pies, and access the foyer for mask donations round the clock. The Maples Facebook page is updated regularly with reminders of hours and offerings. You can visit the website to view the menu, and access contact information for orders.
Edit/Retraction: The original article reported that Maples was the home for Yancey Mask Makers, when in fact it was a sewing space where masks were made to donate to the organization.
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