What do you get when you combine a young, artistically inclined woman and a 1957 Kampmate camper? You get Rini Lewis and Restored Coffee, now a fixture around Wilmington.
“I didn’t expect to be as busy as I am right away,” says Lewis, “nearly every weekend of the year.” Restored Coffee can be found outside businesses and apartment complexes and at corporate events.
Lewis, a Topsail High School graduate, started as a part-time barista at Sundial Coffee in Surf City. Her parents, who knew their daughter had been bitten by the coffee bug, gave her the 14-foot camper as a graduation gift.
The camper had to be gutted and—with help from friends and her future husband, Caleb—restoration took two years
“When we got it, the kitchenette was falling apart, the walls were rotted, and we had to cut a big circle in the roof for ventilation,” she recalls. Another hole was cut for a serving window. They added countertops, plumbing and a refrigerator. The camper now can hold one person working the espresso machine.
Restored Coffee uses recycled products and ocean-friendly cups. The menu includes espresso, americano, latte, cortado, chai, cappuccino, loose-leaf tea and baked goods.
