Bikinis not for Stanwood
By JEREMIAH O’HAGAN Staff Reporter
PHOTO BY KELLY RUHOFF | STANWOOD/CAMANO NEWS
Recent patrons of Country Mudd, Inc., may have noticed something missing, lately.
Skin.
Stanwood’s bikini barista coffee stand has layered up: effective Jan. 1, baristas now wear the same amount of clothes to work as everyone else.
Alan Stolee, co-owner of the stand, said he and his business partner, Sheryl Thompson, “decided bikinis weren’t really for Stanwood.”
Stolee said there were negative aspects of operating a bikini barista stand.
“It’s better for the city and for ourselves if we switch to a ‘normal’ coffee stand,” he said.
The biggest issue was the public’s misconception about their baristas’ character.
“A lot of people assume the girls are uneducated and immature because they work here,” said Stolee. “But that’s not the case.”
Stolee and Thompson said many of their employees are college students working their way through school.
“They found a fun, parttime job where they can make decent money,” Stolee said. “That’s all.”
Stolee acknowledged some stands have pushed the boundaries of acceptable attire, but he stressed that bikini barista stands began as something fun.
“Obviously, they catered to a certain market,” Stolee said, “but that’s what you do it business. You find your niche.”
Even so, Stolee and Thompson decided that isn’t the niche for Stanwood.
Staff Reporter Jeremiah
O’Hagan: 629-8066 ext.
125 or ohagan@scnews.
