Community. Community. Community.

There isn’t much that compares to our first day.  We opened up shop and we hoped, and we dreamed, and we crossed fingers willing for an idea to become a full-fledged reality. 

It didn’t matter that the majority of the sales that day were from our family and friends, it didn’t matter that there were more chairs than people in the shop that day, and it didn’t even matter that we were on our feet all day.  What mattered was the doors were open and life as we knew it had changed. 

We never imagined that sense of happiness to be experienced again, but then all of you happened.  You see, we knew we were going to open up a coffee shop, but we also knew that the coffee shop was merely the vessel.  What we wanted to do was actually even more simplistic, but would be much more difficult.  We wanted to:

Embrace community.

Serve others.

Create culture.

So simple -- but simple isn’t easy.  Still, this was the goal.  We have both been taught that the coffee industry is great; because, at its very core, it is all about community and people.  It’s what drew both of us to this industry, to the business. 

In our heart of hearts we knew this defined success for us - living up to that mission every day.  Hoping that we would do our part, spread our love and passion, like so many have bestowed upon us over the years.  And as of today, we feel as strong as ever about our mission.

On Sunday night, a sad thing happened, but on Monday something much more powerful occurred.  This past Monday, December 9th, we were given an early Christmas gift.  Our opening day was rivaled, if not matched.

From the moment we opened the shop that morning, all of you reminded us that our mission is everyone’s mission.  We were humbled, teary-eyed, and a newfound passion came over us.  From cash to art pieces, from food to doggie banks, from a window fund to jokes about a window fund, from high fives to hugs, and from smiles to laughs we watched our community, our family, love on us.  You all have changed us for the better.

On July 1st we opened a shop with big stars in our eyes.  On December 9th you opened up your arms with more love than we ever expected.  We’re so proud to be a part of this community.  We’ve never seen so much sense of community in any one city and we’re honored to have been allowed to be a small piece of this amazing place.

We’re so excited to see what the rest of this month brings.  

And, we’re looking forward to the future of the Community Tree!  

Feel free to bring in gifts and place them under the tree and invite anyone you know who needs a gift, a high-five, a pay-it-forward, or a hug to come on in and check out our tiny Community Tree full of a lot of heart.

Cheers,

Salvador & Chris

Happy Three Months (and a day)!

Three months ago we set out to embrace community, serve others, and create culture.  As each day passed more and more incredible people walked through the bright blue door hearing our mission for the first time, sleepless nights turned into dream-filled experiences as a staff was formed, and flecked espresso poured out of our favorite (and very shiny) machine.

We expected to have a good time, serve quality coffee, and live out a dream.  And, we knew we had to remain steadfast to our mission.  It became a catalyst for high-fives, memorizing names, Night Markets, Pour Over Brunches, Pop-up music events, Tap Takeovers, singing for people on their birthdays, and developing a destination location that Lexington could be proud of each and every day.

We expected a journey.  We expected a story to share.  We expected a chance to teach.  We expected an opportunity to learn.  We expected to have fun.

We didn't expect the community embracing us the way that they have done.
By pure chance, writers have shared their experiences of the shop with others through their own words.  Their own experiences.
Unexpectedly and extremely appreciated, local businesses have supported us and told their friends, their family, and their customers to give us a shot.
Movers and shakers of Lexington have been shoulders to stand on.  They've carried us through the city letting everyone know we have arrived and made sure they invited us and afforded us opportunities we didn't know existed.
Those of the Lexington coffee community stopped in and not only wished us luck, they came back and did it again, and again.  They reminded us that friendly competition is how the coffee industry does competition.
Churches have pointed out our mission is their mission.  They reminded us that our values are our conscience.  Our values drive us.
People came in and let us know that it was their first time.  They wanted to be customers, to be a part of our culture.  They went from strangers, to customers, to friends via coffee, hand slaps, and maybe a pay-it-forward drink or two.

As we look back at these last three months, we're humbled.  We're humbled by the journey so far, but also by the ostensible fact that the community wants us to embrace, serve, and create.  A community that wants to help mold this little dream into a reality.

Every moment of the shop’s existence, we're thankful for our journey and the people helping us create experiences along the way.

Cheers!

Salvador and Chris