Most folks wake up from odd dreams mumbling, "Where'd that come from?" then quickly fade back to sleep. That's not the case for Susan Binkley, owner of The Blue Chair Bakery & Coffee Shop on the domain of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.

"I saw a place where people get together—college students, mothers and children, retirees. A neutral zone," says Binkley, describing her vision for The Blue Chair.

A few years after opening, Binkley read that most chain restaurants experienced an annual growth rate of 8 percent. "I laughed," she recalls. "We had a sales growth of 43 percent. I thought, 'We must be doing something right.' "

The ironic reality of Binkley's dream is that she isn't a cook. An equestrian, she is as uncomfortable with a baker's oven as most folks are picking horse feed. What she does have is the gift of innovation.

"I've always been creative, so I put my artistic talents to work," Binkley says. "Before I knew it, everyone in town was drinking coffee, eating, and talking—just like I dreamed."

Little wonder.

With a blue and yellow—spotted chair as the cornerstone of the coffee shop, a café society quickly emerged. Children sitting in front of a 1950s-era TV housing an aquarium while inhaling cinnamon rolls adds youthful energy to the setting. And mountain murals along with sherbet walls highlight the décor, with photographs of bossy mothers providing reminders to bus your own table.

Years before her coffee shop dream, Binkley had a vision of a haven for battered woman. Simmering on the concept while building The Blue Chair into a thriving business, her crystal blue eyes focused on merging two dreams into one.

"We had women working here who were struggling with life issues, and I realized there was a solution to my earlier dream—assistance for women and their children. I also saw a way to grow the business," Binkley says.

In the summer of 2003, The Blue Monarch treatment program opened. Four years later, a 12-month residential addiction program had developed with Sandy Spies serving as the addiction counselor. Once women graduate from The Blue Monarch, they begin training in the on-site bakery, eventually earning the privilege to work at The Blue Chair. During the treatment program, mothers are often reunited with their children, who also live at Blue Monarch.

"I don't know if blue Monarchs exist in nature, but I wanted a symbol of something so resourceful and adaptable that they can survive tremendous challenges," Binkley says. "Monarchs are the creature. They battle unbelievable odds to complete their migration."

Twenty-six-year-old Jennifer Summers provides witness to Binkley's migration metaphor. A recovering addict and a mother, she now serves two capacities with Blue Chair, Blue Monarch. "I love the bakery, and the combination of the coffee shop and treatment center is unique," Summers says. "Susan asked me if I wanted to train to be her assistant and a public speaker.

After my first presentation, Susan said I was the spokesperson for The Blue Monarch."

Two other residents are also on their way to long-term recovery:

Nellie Arraiga, 29, mother of three children. Initially frustrated, Arraiga fought the system.

"I was so stubborn; I was attracted to baking, but I didn't want to make anything too girlie-girl," says Arraiga with a laugh. "Now I'm all about making carrots for carrot cake. Check 'em out—they're perfect!"

Amy Ledford, 28, mother of two. An adult child of addicts, Ledford had dreamed of a new existence since childhood when the only source of heat was the clothes dryer, removing the exhaust hose and dragging it to her bedroom.

"I was tired of my life story," Ledford says. "Tired of hurting my children.

Now my children are happy and healthy. I go to bed every night proud of what I've made. That's a first for me."

With two visions now one, Binkley spends the majority of her time at The Blue Monarch, with Michael Brown managing the The Blue Chair. A professional pastry chef, Brown has expanded the role of Blue Monarch graduates.

"We have a gourmet business that serves a university community, and the bakery is thriving; we're selling bread to stores in other cities," Brown says. "But really, the business is the last thing I think about: the trade magazine Gourmet News recently announced that we had won a retail leadership award, '2nd runner-up for Outstanding Community Service' in 2006."

"That award represents everything we work for."

—Mark H. Kelly is the Marketing Communications Manager for Lodge Cast Iron Cookware in South Pittsburg, Tennessee.