The owners of a new concessions business near the Clinton ferry terminal are bringing some colorful options of refreshments to the South Whidbey waterfront.
Clinton residents Allie Stock and Sterling Jones recently opened Salty Sea Coffee, a food truck serving bagels, pastries, pre-packaged snacks and an impressive list of teas, coffees and other beverages for the parched traveler.
Earlier this year, the couple spontaneously purchased the truck, which was previously operated by Honeymoon Bay Coffee Roasters, an Oak Harbor business.
On Christmas Day, while stuck in a two-hour ferry line, Stock and Jones decided to stretch their legs. They noticed a “for sale” sign in the window of the bright-red food truck adjacent to the vehicle loading lanes.
“If we hadn’t been walking our dogs here, we wouldn’t have known,” Stock said.
The couple used to regularly frequent the truck as customers. Now, they’re the ones behind the glass.
Salty Sea Coffee, named after Stock’s grandfather’s boat, is the pair’s first business in the food industry. The owner of Honeymoon Bay Coffee Roasters offered to help them create their own blend of coffee, which is brewed and served at their truck.
Besides the usual coffee shop fare of lattes, mochas and cappuccinos, drinks on the menu also include teas, Italian sodas, lemonade, limeade and a plant-based version of an energy drink spritzer. A rainbow array of syrups guarantees that just about any flavor or color can be added to a drink. The couple spent time creating their own concoctions of energy drinks, which have eclectic names such as the Salty Mermaid, Electric Eel and Sea Nettle.
Snacks offered are grab-and-go and require little preparation, for the most part, and include bagels and cream cheese from the Whidbey Island Bagel Factory and Whidbey Island Ice Cream bars.
For Stock and Jones, their spontaneous decision turned out to be a way to spend more time together, rather than at separate jobs. They moved to the island together in 2019.
“We wanted to make our roots here on Whidbey Island because we loved it so much,” Jones said. “We’re excited about starting this.”
“We just hope that it’s a good way for us to be a part of the community,” Stock said.
Salty Sea Coffee is open weekdays 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and weekends 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed Wednesdays. The truck is located at 6513 Columbia Beach Dr. in Clinton. For more information, visit instagram.com/saltyseacoffee.
Allie Stock hands a customer his drink. (Photo by David Welton)
Sparking cherry limeade, left, and an energy drink spritzer called the Salty Mermaid. Both are from Salty Sea Coffee. (Photo by David Welton)
