Today we’d like to introduce you to Bre Ruelas.
Hi Bre, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My husband Jose and I have been together for 14 years now. We met in high school and had our first daughter as teens. We didn’t know what our future held at that point. We were young and scared. My husband, Jose, started working in upholstery to provide for us while I finished school and eventually college. My degree is in Healthcare, and after working in that for a few years, I quickly realized that I wanted to do something that would allow for more family time and flexibility, so Jose worked 5-6 days a week to support our what is now a family of 5 while I took a leap of faith and started my business in coffee and beverages called “ Short & Sweet “ We first started out using a mobile trailer and set up anywhere and everywhere, we were doing well enough that we decided to open up a storefront in downtown Hickory. With hopes high and dreams even higher, we went all in and managed both the shop and the trailer expanding our services to offer private events such as weddings, parties, and corporate events. Jose was then working two jobs, upholstery and helping me with events. Everything seemed to be going exactly how a first-time small business owner would expect, HECTIC! But it also started to dwindle down due to our small-town economic change and aftershock repercussions of COVID. People just weren’t out shopping in our area or working in it for that matter. During this time, Jose’s place of employment (furniture) also had been experiencing hard times due to lack of material and employees, so the factory had been low on work, and as much as Jose loved working at the shop nights and weekends, we both knew he needed to look for additional work. One Monday, he was offered a side job to assist on sealing a roof; Jose quickly took the opportunity in hopes to temporarily meet our financial needs as a family. Monday went great, and he planned to return that Tuesday. When Tuesday morning came, he had been on the job site less than 30 minutes before he fell through the skylight on the roof. Jose fell 15 ft down onto concrete and broken his back, face, skull, clavicle, and almost all of his ribs, sustaining lung injuries, a spinal cord injury, and brain injury, including swelling and bleeding of his brain. Thankfully his brother was there to call EMS, who quickly responded and called out for a medi-flight to Carolinas Medical Center. Jose flew from Hickory to Charlotte, fighting for his life. In that moment, nothing else mattered. Not work, money, business, or anything. Jose had 5 surgeries and spent 3 months between multiple hospitals healing and rehabilitating. During this time, neither of us worked, obviously, but thankfully we had community that we had built from both our church and our little business. That community stepped up! We had so much support and prayers, and even a friend who helped run the shop for as long as she could to raise money for Jose’s medical expenses and family bills. Since then, we have had to make the difficult decision to close our store due to inability to keep up with its needs financially and physically. While most people may see this situation as a tragic one, we are grateful for everything and, especially the time we spent serving others, meeting new people, hearing stories & making friends in our small town. It’s those moments that are helping us through this process. Today Jose remains paralyzed from the waist down but is working daily to regain independence. He wants so badly to return to work, especially in the community where he can share his experience and testimony with others. For now, both of us stay home together as I am his full-time caregiver. We have high hopes that we can return to serving others soon. Currently, our trailer business is being operated part-time by a very close friend, and while it is not currently contributing to our household financially, it is contributing hope to our community, and that’s worth keeping it going! We have always, since day one, sought to show the love of Christ through our business by doing even the simplest things like displaying inspiration through scripture or having an anonymous prayer jar and email. We still have these things displayed and will continue to keep hope and faith. Even through our trial, we have been blessed by the love and support of others. One day we hope to open a store again and offer a welcoming and loving place in the community for people to enjoy time together, exchange stories over a cup of coffee and even pray with each other. Until then, we plan to spread love and hope to everyone we meet. Hope that no matter what plans you have in life and no matter what thing my interrupt those plans, there’s always a bigger plan, and each step through healing is a step closer to accomplishing that!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Jose is in physical pain every day, and having so many doctors’ appointments and therapy has changed our lives and daily routine. As well as us both no longer working it has put a strain on us financially, but God has provided and will continue to!
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Short and Sweet LLC?
Short & Sweet specializes in Coffee, Lemonades & Bubble teas. We believe what sets us apart is that we use fresh, high-quality ingredients and constantly are adding new fun & themed flavor combos to keep our menu interesting while offering something for EVERYONE. Also, we don’t just serve drinks; we serve LOVE through Jesus & a smile
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Be flexible! I changed my menu a few times before finding what was needed in our area. If I would have stuck with only my first options, the market in our area was already saturated with them, so I had an open mind to try new things, and it worked! At the same time, staying true to the main idea.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/Shortandsweetnc
- Instagram: Shortandsweetnc
- Facebook: Shortandsweetnc
- Other: Praywithbre@gmail.com
Image Credits
Megan Rhoney Photography
What a Delight Photography
