ginnys meets their five year mark

It’s been said since the beginning of their journey, that pursuing a coffee shop in a small town of 800 was not advised. It’s also been said that a community, no matter how small, if passionate enough, will find a way to make anything a reality. After receiving a rating of negative three, on a scale of one to 10 during initial planning, the idea for a coffee shop was put on the back burner. In 2015 the idea became a reality, thanks to the efforts made by a local mother-daughter trio: Kerry Burns, Trisha Larson and Jenny Terkildsen and for five years, the Philip community has been blessed with their very own coffee shop, ginnys.
ginnys carries a unique aesthetic, bold flavors and superior customer service to everyone that comes through their doors. If you were to capture the smell that emits within the shop, it would be a tapestry, containing multiple scents intricately woven together. When you enter ginnys, you are greeted with the smell of pressed espresso, freshly brewed coffee (ginnys has expertly crafted their own signature line of coffee, aptly named Bad River Coffee Company) and frothed milk.
As a tribute to how much the owners and their employees strive and have succeeded in making their customers feel appreciated and welcomed, a look over the last five years has included a multitude of various interactions that speak to how these three ladies were able to create the local coffee shop we know today as ginnys.
From intrastate (within South Dakota) and interstate travel to even international travel, ginnys apparel has traveled to countless destinations. Destinations include small town South Dakota, to New Orleans, Louisiana, the Redwood National Forest in California, the Colosseum in Rome, Italy and even as far as the Taj Mahal in India.
Not only has their apparel travelled to sought after destinations, but ginnys visitors have eagerly sought them out as a must-see stop during their travels. Customers have come from all over South Dakota, as far as Oregon and the nation’s capital, and ginnys has even received international visitors from places such as Ireland, France, Montreal, South Africa, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Abu Dhabi, Australia, England and Vietnam. Customers and visitors range from ages zero to 90 and beyond, coming from all walks of life, from engineers to helicopter pilots, school teachers, and even circus performers!
ginnys has also become the place to meet up. Whether it be family, friends or neighbors, ginnys has been a meeting place for groups such as the Red Hat Ladies, cross-country cyclists, various hunting crews from West Virginia, Tennessee, Minnesota and Alabama, the local running club and various local organizations. ginnys has welcomed and celebrated many birthday’s, anniversaries, hosted painting parties, coloring clubs, book clubs, a murder mystery party, and multiple multi-generational get togethers. Whether you’re looking to get homework or work completed, read a good book, play a board or card game, ginnys offers a relaxing, comfortable atmosphere.
When asked, “what have you enjoyed most about these last five years?”, the owners had these thoughts and memories to share.
“It's hard to believe five years have gone by.  One of the most enjoyable parts for me has been making friends with our customers.  I don't even really like the word "customer" because it seems too formal.  My favorite times are when we have enough help behind the bar so I can just visit with people.  I wish I could formally interview every person who walks through our doors because everyone has a fascinating story, whether they live in Philip or New York City.  During the summer, we have quite a few people from different states, and even countries, come in and tell us they drove the extra 14 miles off the Interstate just to get coffee. It's always a pleasure to visit with them.
It's also been a blessing to me knowing that my 87-year-old dad and 91-year- old aunt have enjoyed spending time at a place that was named after someone they had loved dearly.  I believe it would make my mom's heart happy to see her husband, George, and sister, Elaine, reminisce about their high school days in Philip and their fond memories of her. It makes MY heart happy!
We don't do everything perfectly.  (I forgot to put shots of espresso in the first drinks I made.)  But, we try to learn from our mistakes and remind ourselves on a daily basis to be grateful for all the kind people who have supported us over the last five years.    
- Kerry Burns
“While I love the adrenaline of working behind the bar during a large event, the most enjoyable part of ginnys has been getting to know people in and around our community as well as meeting interesting travelers and hearing their stories. Last year, while we were operating with curbside delivery-only, I realized just how important the social interaction was to me and to our customers. Once the physical presence of our customers and face-to-face conversations were gone, the enjoyment of serving coffee was also lost. To me, the exchange of smiles and stories with our customers is even more important than the delicious coffee we serve.”
- Trisha Larson
“There are lots of great things that have come from ginnys in the last five years for me. But one of my favorite things about the coffee shop, is hearing all the stories about my grandma, Ginny. I never got a chance to meet my grandma.  After we opened, her friends wanted to come see “ginnys,” so I got to hear lots of stories about her and kind of got to know her through them. I imagine she was a lot like my mom, or maybe I should say my mom is a lot like her. I think if she would have been around when I was growing up, she would have taken us grandkids on lots of adventures...just like my mom did.”
- Jenny Terkildsen

As a show of appreciation for what ginnys has done to and for the Philip community and surrounding areas, customers were asked what they have enjoyed about ginnys and what their favorite order is. If you haven’t had the chance to visit or need to change up your drink order, look no further for a better reason!
“The small town atmosphere and friendliness of everyone there, they make everyone feel welcome.
Go to: Bad River Cold Brew.”
- Chris Coyle
“I love the smell, the warm, inviting atmosphere. I love to sit there and work on homework, oily projects and love their playlists.”
Go to: Vanilla Chai Latte
- Chelsea Tobin
“I always get their "house" coffee, plain. The smell gives me a sudden rush of euphoria! I love going in there, love the atmosphere, and I love Kerry!”
- Lee Ann Knutson
“I love the smell and atmosphere. The ladies do a great job and it's truly a place “where everybody knows your name”.
Go to: Cafe Breve + 2 shots
- Chris Stewart
“The little chats that I have had with all of them there, truly makes it a small town "home" vibe. Also, the products that they get in are top notch and you can tell they really do their research and have their costumers in mind when purchasing them.”
Go to: Salted Caramel Latte
- Kenzy Pierce
“Love all the different people you meet there! My go to order is the breakfast burrito and a large iced caramel latte!”
- Rachael Joy Gartner
“My go-tos are salted Carmel latte OR their delicious peach smoothie! I love to browse thru all their awesome gifts. And the service there definitely always comes with a smile!”
- Deb Smith
I love the people, the atmosphere, & the coffee! We are so lucky to have such a cute little coffee shop in our small town! My go-to order is a mudslide.”
- Jess Smith
“Love the atmosphere and they are always so welcoming. My daughter Harley and I love to get the Italian Cream Sodas and Bagels with the Cream Cheese Spreads they have.”
- Emily Iwan
“I love Kerry!!! She makes me giggle & she has the biggest heart. They all are SO willing/ helpful to whip me up a amazing basket when i need one. I like having lunch dates at ginnys & the yummy food.”
 Go to: Ice tea
- Doreen Vetter
“I love the friendly faces, delicious coffee, warm atmosphere, comfy & stylish apparel, and all the goodies they have. It’s the perfect place to meet your friends, strike up a conversation with another coffee drinker, and I love how kid friendly ginnys is with the great outdoor area! It’s a little slice of heaven in our wonderful community!”
Go to: Mudslide
- Ella Smith
“You walk in there and the atmosphere instantly takes your breath away as well as your troubles! It is a place of pure happiness and joy! My go to is of course the Bad River Cold Brew!!”
- Corbin Kramer
For me, ginnys helped my transition to a small town be just that much easier. I love that inviting and warm atmosphere that’s like your at a friends house, it feels like you just belong there. It’s a place you can go to collect your thoughts or just have coffee with a friend. My go to drink would be the Caramel coldbrew frappe, a drink I would not know about if it weren’t for Tessa!”
- Michaela Lavender
“I love the feeling you get when you walk into ginnys. Comfort, cozy, joy, and the scent of coffee. My go to order is a coconut caramel macchiato with coconut milk, half flavor.”
- Jari Spry
“The atmosphere and the wonderful smells that just hit your nose as soon as you open the door.”
Go to: Cold brew with a splash of heavy!!
- Dustin Michael
“My go-to order is a piña colada smoothie! I love walking in and instantly being greeted with their unique aesthetic, it never gets old!”
- Jaida Haynes
“I love the atmosphere and vibe you get when walking in. It’s so cute and cozy and the employees are always so sweet. My go to order is a iced coffee with vanilla syrup and a scone (warmed up of course).”
- Hannah Theye
“I love all of the positive vibes and the warm welcomes!”
Go to: coconut iced coffee with a splash of half and half
- Kiarra Moses
“The house ginnys is in reminds me of an old friend and all the good times we had there! I also enjoy the coziness and the music and of course the smells. My go to: everything bagel with cream cheese; I don’t really have a favorite drink I’m always up for trying something different. I like them all!”
- Brittney Drury
“A place to gather with a friend, and the chance to add a few as they come and go through as well.”
Go to: Decaf Breve. They always know it's mine.”
- Tanya McIlravy
“ginnys is like a coffee shop straight out of a Hallmark movie. You come in for the coziness, magical bean juice and wonderful bakery smells. You keep coming back for their commitment to customer service and community outreach.”
Go to: hot caramel macchiato
- Marla Guptill