Meet Mike Kelton | Local entrepreneur, business coach & youth mentor. Husband, father & grandfather (Pop Pop).

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mike Kelton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mike, how does your business help the community?
I feel that if I am going to accept money from the community thru my business, then I also need to give back to that community. I recognize that I cannot do what I do without the support of the community & my staff that is also part of the community, so community support is a very prominent part of my work culture. I have a very strong partnership with the Montgomery County Food Bank thru Hunger Crush Café (on Lake Conroe) & Sweet Paris Creperie & Café (in Market Street The Woodlands). I have the same partnership with Central Texas Food Bank thru Sweet Paris in The Domain Mall in Austin. We donate a portion of our sales to the food bank. I have a similar partnership with the Houston chapter of Folds of Honor thru Treehouse Café (Magnolia). I also support local youth organizations, Angel Reach & mentor at Conroe High School. I lost my dad when I was young & my mother was an alcoholic. I would not have made it without the community mentorship & support I received growing up & even thru my previous career. It should wouldn’t feel right to me not to take & not give back.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am retired from a 32 year career in the wine & spirits industry. It was a great career & I learned a ton from the experience, mentors, watching my peers, etc. I think the biggest take away for me is learning how to build a positive culture & to not be a boss, but to lead, train & coach. I was able to take what I liked & discard what I didn’t like to create a very positive family culture in my company now. I have had staff who has been with me for years. I have families that work for me. I think it says a lot when one will bring their family member in to work. It is very rewarding for me to hear staff comment how much they enjoy working in my company. They are happy & it comes thru in their customer service. Was it easy? Of course not. It required a lot of self evaluation & growing on my end. It was/is humbling in several ways. First, it was a bit humbling to learn that possibly I may be part of the problem. It was a tough lesson to learn that I needed to change. Second & more so, thru my growth I have amassed an amazing team willingly & enthusiastically helping us to achieve our goals.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well being a little older, I don’t go out as much as I used to, but I love live music, especially outdoors when the weather is not too hot. I live in Conroe, just north of Houston. The city of Conroe puts on concerts at an outdoor stage downtown. Many times they have food & retail vendors & it turns into a little music fest. Market Street shopping center in The Woodlands (where my restaurant Sweet Paris is located) does a spring & fall concert series on the green. They bring in great bands with a great sound system. They draw upwards of 500 people. There are some great outdoor dining areas, especially overlooking Lake Conroe. My restaurant Hunger Crush Café is on the lake. I think the thing I would try to highlight the most is the people of Montgomery County. I love the southern hospitality mindset of this community. I love interacting with my guests at the restaurants. Everyone is so friendly.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I had many mentors along the way. Most notably would be my father. I did not have him for very long as he died when I was 10, but the time I did have with him had huge impact on my life. I remember a time when I was in 1st or 2nd grade. I had a homework assignment that I was struggling with. Actually, the reality is that I really just didn’t want to do it. I went to him for help. He looked at the assignment & saw I had not even attempted it. He would not help me. He told me to go to my room & work on it & that if I still struggles after trying, then he would help me. Well once I started working on it, I was able to complete it with no help. He taught me very early on that failing is OK, but giving up before even trying is not OK. He taught me that I could do anything I wanted if I made the decision to do so. I had about that with my granddaughter the other night. She is 11 & was upset that she made a B in math. My daughter asked me to talk to her about it. I 1st told her that I am proud that she wants to excel. Keep that attitude & you will be successful. However, if you strive, you will stumble, fall, make mistakes. That is a good thing because you learn from them. I told her not to get down on herself about making a B. I explained that the important thing is what she is going to do moving forward. Is making an A worth putting in some extra work? If so, then do it.

Website: www.hungercrushcafe.com www.treehousecafemagnolia.com www.sweetparis.com

Instagram: @hungercrushcafe @treehousecafemagnolia @sweetparis

Facebook: @hungercrushcafe @treehousecafemagnolia @sweetparisthewoodlands