CLEMMONS, N.C. (WGHP) — Putting the espresso machine to work to serve up some drinks.   The beverages at Be Kind Coffee Co. in Clemmons are just as sweet as the people who make them. Prior to becoming a staple in the Clemmons community, co-worker Amanda Gogolak says her business struggled. She says they rented out the building in February 2020 but quickly switched gears in March when the U.S. went on lockdown because of the coronavirus. We actually had a little pop-up bakery in our driveway here and people would come before the shop was open and being built. So we kind of built a small community there," Gogolak said. Gogolak says the customer traffic was inconsistent for more than a year. "There was no way to speculate what your days would look like," Gogolak said. "Some days 10 people would come, other days 200 people would come," which ultimately led to financial struggles. Gogolak says she persevered. "The COVID kind of changed the way people went out and how they did business. It was definitely a struggle. Luckily, it was just our family running it so we could kind of get away with it a little easier with not a lot of employees to pay. Then slowly as things did get back to normal, we now have a team of folks, so it's amazing," Gogolak said. A team and business that's grown so much, Gogolak expanded the outdoor and indoor area to make room for customers. With their business thriving five years later, Gogolak attributes their success to the surrounding community, that support them when they needed it the most. "We thank you for showing up, we thank you for choosing local every day. Because it makes a huge difference. There's a million places you can go. But it makes a difference who you choose our small business...any small business," Gogolak said. ...read more read less