There is something about a small-town gathering place that makes you want to stay a little longer.
Maybe it’s the familiar face behind the counter, the neighbor you run into while grabbing coffee or the child who would rather keep playing on the lawn than head home. At Suncadia Social, that feeling is becoming part of everyday life.
Opened in late May, Suncadia Social was created to be more than a collection of shops and restaurants. For Managing Director Mark Thorne, the vision was to give Suncadia something it had been missing: a community living room.
“It is literally the social hub of the community now,” Thorne said. “The restaurants, the grocery store, are great physical spaces, but it’s the gathering of people and what happens in those physical spaces that really creates the heart of the community.”
Instead of national chains, Suncadia Social brought in independent operators with connections to the region. Cutters Point Coffee provides the morning cup. Roslyn Grocery offers fresh produce, baked goods and grab-and-go meals. Out West Trading Company brings outdoor clothing and accessories, while Forage Home Goods offers pieces for the home. Casual, family-friendly dining rounds out the experience.
The businesses may be new to Suncadia, but the people behind them are not.
Jamie Munson, owner of Out West Trading Company, has been part of Suncadia for years. Amanda Heins, who operates Roslyn Grocery, has been a grocery store owner in nearby Roslyn for more than 15 years. They are not simply business owners serving Suncadia—they are neighbors who understand the people walking through their doors.
And that familiarity is part of the point.
“It’s the people that operate the spaces as much as the spaces themselves,” says Thorne.
A Saturday at Suncadia Social might start with coffee at Cutters Point, followed by a few hours on the lawn. Children can play lawn games while parents settle into an Adirondack chair. Someone might pick up gear for a hike, browse for something new for the house or pick up lunch at the local grocery store.
There is no need to rush through it.
That has been one of the biggest surprises since opening, Thorne said. People who came for coffee often stay to enjoy the space. Families linger on the lawn. Neighbors run into one another. What was designed as a gathering place has become one naturally.
“It’s the hanging out in the casual, just sitting and relaxing and enjoying the environment that’s been the biggest surprise to me,” Thorne said.
The setting helps, too. Suncadia Social’s architecture draws from the area’s agricultural and mining history, using simple forms and natural materials that feel at home in the surrounding landscape. Native landscaping, stone benches and rustic Adirondack chairs soften the spaces between buildings, while the lawn provides room for concerts, movies and everyday afternoons outdoors.
As the seasons change, so will the experience. This fall brings the 20th Annual Harvest Fest, followed by a winter holiday festival stretching from Thanksgiving through the holidays.
But beneath the programming, shopping and dining is something simpler: a place to be.
Suncadia was built around the idea of slowing down in nature, and Suncadia Social adds another layer to that experience. It gives residents and visitors a place to pause, connect and see familiar faces.
Because sometimes a community isn’t created by the buildings themselves. It’s created by what happens when people decide to stay awhile.
“It’s the people that operate the spaces as much as the spaces themselves.”
“Sometimes a community isn’t created by the buildings themselves. It’s created by what happens when people decide to stay awhile.”