Back in 2013, Jamie was working at her after school job when a hipster-looking guy came in to introduce himself. He and his wife had just moved into town to open a coffee shop on the next block. Jamie immediately responded, “But Starbucks is just down the road…” It wasn’t until a few years later that she realized that guy was riding the front end of a wave she didn't even know was coming.

Over the next few years, craft coffee really began to enter the scene and Jamie found herself hunting for local coffee shops everywhere she went. Throughout college, she worked as a part-time barista, and somewhere along the way, the dream of one day opening her own shop was born. With the perfect shop planned out in her head, she realized there were a lot of steps - and dollars - between here and there, and she became frustrated that her dream would have to be put on hold for so long. Then she realized: it doesn't have to be all or nothing. 

Tolbara Coffee + Treats was born in February 2022 as a mobile coffee bar dedicated to caffeinating small events around the Triad and beyond. While it was a joy to get invited into those special moments, the greater goal of a full-scale coffee shop remained. In July 2023, the next step in that direction presented itself, and Tolbara established a semi-permanent “coffee shop” in the lobby of a co-working space in High Point, NC.

In March of 2024, Tolbara moved just steps down the hall, into a space just as whimsical and quirky as the brand itself.

our stOry

OUR CREW

  • Jamie

    OWNER

    Usually found with a baby in one hand and a coffee in the other.

  • Charlotte

    LEAD BARISTA

    The kind of person you feel like you’ve known forever.

  • Amber

    BARISTA

    Thoughtful, patient, and wise well beyond her years.

  • Chris

    MORAL SUPPORT

    The sounding board behind the scenes. The calm to Jamie’s storm.

FAQ

  • It’s pronounced “toll-bar-uh”… unless you’re Jamie’s mom, whose Philly accent gets in the way.

  • The word itself is completely made up! While dreaming up potential names for this business years ago, a quick online search brought up a slew of businesses with the same or similar names. To avoid getting lost in the mix, Jamie and Chris decided to make up a word… which is harder than you’d think!

    One day, Chris spouted off something close to “Tolbara” and with a minor tweak, Jamie knew they had found it!

  • Whenever they had a few extra minutes on the way to school, Jamie and her mom would take the scenic route. One morning when Jamie was five years old, they spotted a magnificent hot air balloon. From then on, the long way became known as “the hot air balloon way.”

    Since then, hot air balloons have become personally significant to Jamie in multiple ways. “The hot air balloon way” is a reminder to slow down, to appreciate the roundabout path, and to stay rooted in the local community.

  • At this time, our main focus is the coffee shop. Although we aren’t actively advertising the mobile bar, we are still open to attending select events.

    Please email hello@tolbaracoffee.com to inquire.