Kye and Nannie McMullan, owners of Nannie Mac Snowball’s, have just expanded their family business by putting coffee — and a coffee shop — on the menu.
Nannie Mac’s, located across from Strick’s Bar-B-Q and Catering a half mile off-campus, is made up of a coffee shop and snowball stand which share a parking lot. They recently opened the shop on Feb. 26 and hope to see business pick up soon.
The couple got access to the building, once used for CrossFit, on Jan. 1. They were hoping to get everything open by Feb. 1, but things ended up taking longer than planned. The McMullans and their crew worked from dusk to dawn three weeks prior to opening. They say they have been worn out from the work, but, despite the postponement, the McMullan family remain optimistic for what’s to come.
“That’s what it takes to keep it up and going,” said Kye. “I heard from a good mentor of mine, Ken Strickland from Strick’s BBQ, that when they were opening up their business that[,] for the first 25 years[,] it was a struggle to get where they are. But now they wouldn’t change a thing.”
Kye and Nannie have a three-year-old son named Blake and hope to grow their business both for themselves and for him. When visiting the shop, it is likely that you will see Blake’s smiling face running around while his mom and dad work.
“One thing about owning your own business is the freedom,” said Nannie, who is thankful for the opportunity that they have to spend so much time with Blake.
The McMullans hope to teach Blake about the value of owning a business and would like to leave the shop and stand to him one day, whether he decides to run it or not.
The shop now serves fresh coffee, tea lattes, Hershey’s ice cream and small handmade pastries daily. They offer milk substitutes like almond milk, soy milk and coconut milk. They also offer some sugar free syrup options and a vegan and lactose free ice cream. They are soon planning on adding other dietary options like oat milk, as well as other vegan and sugar free options.
At Nannie Mac’s, you can get the special Coast Roast coffee from Long Beach, Gulfport, which Kye calls “some of the smoothest coffee” in the South. Since “frappuccinos” and “macchiatos” are trademarked drink items, they serve “frapps” and “upside-down lattes” on their menu.
One special item that they offer is an “affogato”, which is a scoop of ice cream with a shot of espresso over the top. Kye and Nannie also recommend that customers come in and try an upside-down latte with white chocolate and blueberry syrup, a “chocolate covered strawberry” latte and the S’mores latte. Also, Kye says that, “if you are looking for a good pick-me-up”, customers should ask for the secret menu item called the “Frozen Mac”, which is a cold brew with a double shot of espresso.
College students are welcomed to Nannie Mac’s not only to get an enjoyable cup of joe, but also to sit down and study. They currently have about three outlets available for students to plug in their phones and computers and are trying to add more.
“We have free wifi,” said Nannie. “Students can come in, sit down and do their homework.” All while enjoying their sweet treats, of course.
In the future, the McMullans plan on adding outdoor games in the back of the building where a couple of garage doors sit. They want people to enjoy a snowball or a coffee on a hot day and come play games together. They are also hoping to have this back space available to rent out for things like birthday parties and similar events around mid-April. As things are still early in the planning process, though, they are excited for what’s to come and hope to bring in more customers to make their dreams come true. Make sure to follow Kye and Nannie’s journey on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Nannie-Macs-104588968360763/ or on their Instagram page @nanniemacscoffee.
