Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaimie Miller and Victoria Hawkins.
Jaimie and Victoria, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
In short, Between Friends began between two friends! A friendly meeting at a coffee shop one evening turned into a lifelong friendship. Victoria and I met in 2015 and became instant and fast friends. We both enjoy baking, creating new recipes, and meeting new people. A coffee shop was the perfect avenue for us to pursue those passions. We create all of our own recipes in-house, bake our pastries, and get to know our regulars on a deeper level. Victoria and I worked very hard to get our dream off the ground, including completely remodeling a building, creating recipes and menus, starting a non-profit to help our community, operating machines, traveling across the southeast to learn from other independently owned shops, and networking with groups of people we otherwise would never have had the pleasure of meeting.
Our drinks menu is themed after our favorite authors. As avid readers, we wanted to share our love of books with our community. Hemingway, Neruda, Tolkien, Maya Angelou, or Jane Austen: we hope that each drink ordered by name either reconnects our customers with a dear friend or introduces them to a new one. In our first year, we have already won our region’s “Best of the Best Coffeeshop” and “Best Cinnamon Rolls in Middle Georgia.” We were invited to present our coffee and some of our pastries in the Food & Business Expo hosted by our local Chamber of Commerce.
Between Friends is the only family-owned coffee shop in our area. We view everyone who comes in as a new Friend!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Owning our own business has not always been a smooth road, but that is part of the adventure. We have had to battle things out of our control such as broken AC’s, busted pipes, overflowing toilets, etc. We have never claimed to live the glamorous life! When we first opened our shop, construction of the main highway in front of our shop was in progress. The construction made finding our shop difficult for most people, but thankfully the road work is complete and our area of the community is very popular.
We have not always been the only coffee shop in the area, but the two independent shops have since closed. We have always believed in “community over competition,” but we will acknowledge that so many coffee shops in the area was hitting us financially. Our first summer in business was very difficult as we experienced a definite lull in activity as many people traveled and vacationed away from middle Georgia.
Victoria and I really did not have much experience in the food business, nor have we ever owned our own company before. This has been an amazing adventure that has not only taught us great life skills, but built our self-confidence along the way.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Between Friends Coffeeshop & Cafe story. Tell us more about the business.
Between Friends is truly one of a kind. We are an author-themed coffee shop which means our signatures coffees, teas, and milkshakes are named after our favorite authors. Where else can you order a John Steinbeck and receive a caramel marshmallow latte? Where else can you order a Shelley and receive a steaming mug of Egyptian chamomile tea?
Collections of poetry and classic novels adorn our bookshelves that are free for customers to peruse while they sip on their favorite drink. All of our milkshakes are handcrafted and made to order. We have had a blast adding new creations to our menu!
We have award-winning cinnamon rolls as well! We have been awarded the “Best Cinnamon Rolls in Middle Georgia” for the year 2017.
We also won Middle Georgia’s “Best of the Best Coffeeshop” for the year 2017. We take time with our customers and invite them to slow down in their hustle and bustle and take time to smell the roses, err coffee! We believe that people are more than just a name on a cup, they are worthy and valuable. Everyone has a story and we believe that everyone’s story is worth finding out. All it takes is a cup of coffee to generally get that story unfolding. Victoria and I are most proud of the work we have done in and with our community, one mug at a time.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
We have been very lucky, very blessed, in all of our adventures with the shop. We have an amazing central location in our growing town that was under construction for the better part of a year. Thankfully now traffic is flowing and we have many people that see our signs as they drive by and stop in! We are lucky to catch many travelers as our town revolves around Robins Air Force Base and sporting events, whether it is high school events, Little League, etc.
More than luck, we consider ourselves very blessed by the love shown from our community!
Pricing:
- $1.60 for one cup of coffee
Contact Info:
- Address: 1080 Hwy 96 (Suite 100)
Warner Robins, GA
31088 - Website: www.betweenfriendscoffee.com
- Phone: 478-287-6439
- Email: BetweenFriendsCoffeeCafe@gmail.com
- Instagram: betweenfriendscoffee
- Facebook: @BetweenFriendsCoffee
- Twitter: BetweenFriendsC
Image Credit:
Macon Telegraph
Victoria Hawkins
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
