November 23, 2023

Volume 164

Inspire Exploration

Curated by Allison Sutton and Joel Sadler

Sightsee co-founders

Allyson Sutton and Joel Sadler are the wife-and-husband team behind Sightsee, a retail store and coffee shop (named the best coffee shop in SC by Food & Wine!) in Charleston, South Carolina.

Opened in the fall of 2019, Sightsee aims to inspire exploration in all forms. Exploring new cities. Exploring your appreciation for coffee and the many hands that make it possible. Exploring the role you play in your community. Exploring how to make the world a better place.

What's been keeping you grounded?

The biggest headline news in our world is that Sightsee just turned four and buildout is underway to move into a (much) larger space in the Spring! We feel proud (and exhausted) not just at having survived the absurd challenges of 2020 and beyond but at how we survived: innovating, evolving, speaking out, taking risks and always being true to ourselves.

What are you into lately?

01 WHAT'S KEEPING ME GROUNDED


Honestly, the more we’ve gotten pulled in every different direction the more it’s been up to us to keep each other grounded. Despite the fact that we own a business together, we try to incorporate daily rituals that don’t revolve around work whatsoever. One of our favorites is a daily walk through Hampton Park with our rescue dog, Margot. It’s a beautiful park near our home (and our future location!) and the one-mile stroll gives us a chance to be in nature, decompress, and feel creatively inspired. Oh, and did we mention we do this walk with our dog? Because we love our dog.

WHAT IM ROCKIN'

Right now, we’re really obsessed with the Shepherd shirt. It’s a real pinch-yourself moment to be carrying it in our shop. It’s hard to improve upon the classic 3 pocket chore coat but the pocket placement, silhouette, and collar on the Shepherd shirt pull it off. It’s also the perfect weight going into Fall/Winter, or as we like to call it here in Charleston, “cold summer.”

Shepherds Shirt in Indigo Hickory Stripe {Deadstock}

Shepherds Shirt in Indigo Hickory Stripe {Deadstock}

$329.00

Poem of the Week

02 QUOTE OF THE WEEK


Charleston can be a very style-over-substance kind of town, and when we became vocal through the pandemic and social/political unrest happening during our first couple of years in business, not everyone was a fan. We realized, though, that we weren’t interested in keeping our values quiet for folks who are “just here for the coffee” or for the fun surf vibes.

“ Feel the vibe or unsubscribe.”
Was a mantra we created to stay rooted in what matters to us – the cool/fun shit and the hard shit – and hopefully inspire others to be unabashedly themselves regardless of what anyone else thinks.

What are you reading?

03 WHAT I'M DRINKING


The Negroni or The “Out East”
We drink a lot of great coffee (shout out to Brandywine) of course but, going beyond the obvious, we love a great cocktail. The Negroni is a mainstay (Hayman’s Old Tom Gin preferably), but we do have one house cocktail dubbed the “Out East” that strikes a nice balance between classic & tiki:

- 1.5oz Dark Rum (Pusser’s recommended)

- .75oz Sweet Vermouth

- .75oz Orange Curacao

- .5oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

What are you drinking?

WHAT IM UP TO HEALTH WISE

Alysson

I’m a highly sensitive person who struggles with anxiety. Throw in being a small business owner and it’s easy for my mind to race or let feelings of overwhelm creep in. Daily movement of some kind is essential to keeping me centered, even if it’s just a neighborhood walk or bike ride. I also love rolling out my mat and taking online yoga and pilates classes via Haus of Phoenix and B The Method: two badass, women-led movement platforms that help me feel stronger and more easeful every week.

Joel

I’ve been doing my best to surf as often as possible. Surfing here is an exercise in patience because the waves are barely rideable most of the time. If you measure success by seconds spent standing up you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Instead, you have to embrace the entire experience - the sunshine, the rhythm of the ocean, the full body exercise - and if you happen to catch a decent wave that’s just icing on the cake. Not a bad way to approach life itself either.

What are you listening to?

05 WHO I'M READING


The Creative Act
by Rick Rubin
The Persuaders
by Anand Giridharadas

Quote of the Week

06 WHAT I'M INTO LATELY
We’re literally and figuratively into our VW Bus. It’s been a journey getting her (“Olive”) to reliability but worth every penny. Nothing quite like cruising to the beach with the windows down feeling like you just swerved out of the 70’s. She’s also played host to a tarot reader, a chain stitch/patch maker, DJs, and local musicians in our Bandwagen Sessions.

07 WHAT I'M LISTENING TO


Still Summer Vol. 6
Little known fact but playlists were Sightsee’s first “product.” We released our first one back in 2018 before we’d even done a popup and have been making one for each of the four seasons ever since: Summer, Still Summer, Cold Summer, Almost Summer. Still Summer Vol. 6 just dropped and we’re already working on the next Cold Summer now.

Listen on Spotify