A Hug in a Mug

For BRIDGET LEIVISKA, owner of Sundial Coffee & Tea, the smell of coffee reminds her of home.

“When I smell coffee, I recall my dad brewing a pot before work, a warm morning routine, and being with the people I love,” she says.

Now at her own shops in Surf City and Hampstead, customers come for coffee, but Leiviska says they really come to see friends and connect. “It’s about relationships,” she says.

Leiviska grew up in Indianapolis, Ind. “As a kid I wanted to be a teacher and a mommy,” she says. Graduating from college with a degree in elementary education, she homeschooled her children, now 21 and 23 years old. “My childhood dreams came true. My children were my life-career at home,” she says.

As her children became more independent and went to college, Leiviska took a job as a barista at 4 C’s Java in Holly Ridge. She says she particularly loved learning about espresso, combining flavors, and connecting with customers.

After six months, the owner asked her to buy the shop. Owning her own business was something she had never considered. “We were entering a new phase in life as empty-nesters,” she says. “And this business was an unexpected turn of events.”

Leiviska bought the shop in February 2019 and closed it for a month to remodel and rebrand as Sundial Coffee & Tea. The name has symbolic meaning for her. She and her husband, Vic, honeymooned at the Sundial Beach Resort in Florida and spent time looking for the elusive sundial seashell. Vic bought her one as they left, and it’s now a little treasure that evokes happy memories.

While her husband assumed the business responsibilities like finances, inventory, and payroll, Leiviska dove into sourcing missional coffee and teas, intentionally supporting both local and worldwide growers. When their first source, Kingdom Growers Coffee, went out of business after three years, Leiviska switched to several different sources, all with a missionary goal, including Stone Street Coffee Company in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Friends Coffee Roasters in Sneads Ferry. Most of the teas come from Rishi Tea and Raleigh-based Arteao.

Sundial remains committed to helping its neighbors, and Leiviska regularly donates a percentage of sales to several local nonprofits. Hospitality is a priority too, she says. “My faith and relationship with God has shown me to be kind, offer hospitality, and care for people,” she says. “That is what we love most about Sundial.”

In March 2022, she and Vic relocated Sundial to Triton Village in Surf City. Leiviska describes her shop as super-friendly. “It’s so fun to see people come in with bare feet and coverups, get coffee and post beach pics on social media,” she says. “The beach makes me so happy, and I have a huge appreciation for where we live.” The dog-friendly indoor shop also offers free pup cups.

Long-time friend JULIE HILLMAN is the manager of the Surf City location. “We became friends 14 years ago and homeschooled our kids together,” Leiviska says. “When I opened the shop, Julie was still homeschooling, but she joined me at Sundial as soon as her youngest graduated in 2020.”

In the past year, WENDY MCGUIRE came on board as the bakery manager. “She is creating fantastic recipes for cake pops, muffins, brownies, blueberry lemon loaf, and cranberry orange muffins,” Leiviska says.

In December 2023, she opened a second location at Ironclad Golf in Hampstead. Her 11 baristas float between the two locations, and fresh bakery goods are transported daily from Surf City. Hampstead offers outdoor deck seating with space to play cornhole and bocce ball or watch a game on large screen TVs.

Her baristas create the extensive menu of innovative drinks for both locations. Leiviska says the most popular drink is flavored cafe latte. Flavors change seasonally, and while tiramisu was big this winter, spring will brew new flavors like strawberry rose latte and blackberry matcha lemonade tea. The Hampstead location, managed by Leiviska’s husband, just released an exclusive: the Shaka, a coconut latte with macadamia cold foam topped with toasted coconut.

“I love coffee, and I love people. I make sure my customers feel welcome,” Leiviska says, adding that big name competition doesn’t concern her. “There are enough coffee drinkers in the community to go around. At Sundial, our difference is that we need to know how your baby is before you go.”

To view more of photographer Daria Amato’s work, go to dariaphoto.com

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