Many college students spend their four years at school making new friends, studying something they’re passionate about and imagining a future where their dreams come true.   

 Reid Finnegan doesn’t need to use his imagination, though, because he is already living his dream – and he did it through coffee. Finnegan, along with his roommate and friend Nick Alliston, are the owners of Sunroof Coffee Company, a coffee shop located at 175 Tracy St. in the Mill District of north Athens. 

 Finnegan and Alliston graduated in May of last year. Their story of friendship and coffee began when they were freshmen at the University of Georgia. They were in the same small group together and both joined the campus organization Phi Slam, later realizing that they lived on the same floor of Russell Hall. Before long, they became best friends and lived with each other for the following three years.

 Finnegan said that during their junior year, he and Alliston started toying with the idea of opening up their own business- a coffee shop. Ironically, he noted that both he and Alliston did not have much of a history with coffee- Alliston didn’t really like it and Finnegan barely drank it- but when Alliston started getting into it, the idea stuck. 

 The two started thinking it would be awesome to open their own coffee shop.

 Finnegan went to a Society of Entrepreneurs event where he met Chase Lawrence, owner of College Town Properties. Finnegan recalled that Lawrence wanted to help out small businesses, and he mentioned to Finnegan that the Mill District was being built. He encouraged Finnegan to reach out if he ever had any ideas. Although Finnegan and Alliston emailed Lawrence to say they were “entry level interested” in opening up a coffee shop, they “shelved” the idea until their senior year, Finnegan said. 

 They fleshed out other business ideas during that time, but it wasn’t what they wanted. So, they eventually circled back to a coffee shop. Alliston reached out to Lawrence to see if the Mill District was ready, and the two decided it was the perfect spot to get their start. 

 “We were like, ‘this is kind of too good of an opportunity to pass up,’” Finnegan said. 

 Finnegan and Alliston ran an Indiegogo campaign to raise money for the shop, asking their friends, family and community to help them get a start. They offered perks, gave away merch and Finnegan even got a tattoo of a table on his leg because someone donated $750. Finnegan and Alliston raised about $9000 through the campaign, and they “bootstrapped” the rest. 

 “We were kind of going after a dream, but then it worked out,” Finnegan said. 

 Now that Sunroof is open, they have been bringing in a profit, Finnegan said.

He noted that he is aware that there is no shortage of great coffee in Athens, but he believes that Sunroof brings something different.

 “I think we have a really fun menu that, like, has some things on it that other coffee shops don’t have,” Finnegan said. 

Some of the more unique menu items include their very own iced shaken espresso and a matcha affogato, which is coffee poured over ice cream. 

 Finnegan also noted that the courtyard Sunroof is located in and its walkup window offer a more upbeat and fun environment that they’re going to play into, creating an experience that is different from other coffee shops.

 “It’s a different vibe…we’re gonna own that,” Finnegan said.  

 Sunroof Coffee Company opened on Aug. 5, 2023, and Finnegan recalled how the shop was slammed that day, giving him and Alliston a lot of affirmation. While Finnegan appreciates the support from his friends and family, he said it is the support from the people he doesn’t know that makes him feel really good.

 “That’s probably been the most fulfilling experience to be like ‘wow, this is beyond just like a coffee shop for our friends.’ Like, this is something that other people are excited about,” Finnegan said. 

 However, the process has not been without its challenges. As young entrepreneurs, Finnegan and Alliston had to learn along the way, navigating the “behind the scenes” kinks that they were unfamiliar with. 

 “It kind of hits us how new we are to this and how kind of crazy we were for doing this,” Finnegan said. 

 Despite challenges, Finnegan said that he and Alliston are confident in their abilities. 

 “There’s probably a lot of people who are like ‘those guys are so young, those guys don’t know what they’re doing’-and they’re probably right a little bit. But we’re also like you just kind of have to do it,” Finnegan said. 

 Finnegan also offered some advice for anyone trying to achieve their own dream.

 “I can’t stress enough how important it is to just go for it. Like, you will never know all the right answers,” Finnegan said. 

 Finnegan and Alliston’s dream for Sunroof is to have the space to open a cafe, where people can come to study and hangout. However, though, they’re taking things one step at a time and enjoying the journey.

“It’s been the most rewarding, like humbling, toughest experience I’ve ever done, and I wouldn’t trade it,” Finnegan said. 

 The other shops in the Mill District are set to open in the next month, according to Finnegan. For now, Sunroof Coffee Company adds to the space as an example of one dream that came true.