Live-It Coffee Shop
Project overview
YEAR: 2018 CLIENT: LIVE-IT Ministries LOCATION: Seymour, TN VOLUNTEER(S):
  • LIVE-IT Ministries owns a local thrift-store in Seymour, TN
  • They reached out to the ETCDC for help turning part of their space into a coffee shop and gathering place for the community
  • Alongside reconfiguring the interior, outdoor improvements to the facility were proposed, such as improved entrances with signage, ADA parking, and and outdoor patio area next to a new glass roll-up garage door

 A Rural Thrift Shop Becomes a Community Gathering Space LIVE-IT Ministries in Seymour, Sevier County helps their community in a variety of ways. Their primary focus is a program in which funds and manpower are raised to support the construction of needed home repairs for low-income residents in the area. A portion of these funds comes from their LIVE-IT Thrift … Read More

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 A Rural Thrift Shop Becomes a Community Gathering Space

LIVE-IT Ministries in Seymour, Sevier County helps their community in a variety of ways. Their primary focus is a program in which funds and manpower are raised to support the construction of needed home repairs for low-income residents in the area. A portion of these funds comes from their LIVE-IT Thrift Shop.

The LIVE-IT Board and client representatives, Terri and Paul Danis asked the ETCDC to create a concept plan to redevelop a section of the existing space, which was a former warehouse building. The building is split length-wise into two large spaces – the public space, which is a thrift store, and the staff space, which is storage and offices. Within the thrift store portion of the building, the ETCDC was asked to look at the space adjacent to the small parking lot, and to re-imagine it as a coffee shop with meeting areas to bring together adults, teens, and elderly, home-bound community members. 

The ETCDC was able to reuse many items already located within the thrift store to define the area, including several large restaurant booth-and-table sets for seating and large pieces of framed art and chandeliers to aesthetically enhance the walls and ceiling. The existing shelves were used and moved to delineate a more open and defined space for areas of shopping versus relaxing and socializing. One unique feature includes multiple electric fireplaces and dozens of lamps along the eastern wall, creating a band of light and warmth beside the couches and chairs. 

The concept plan proposes removing an existing second door to a staff area at the end of the coffee bar to add a new water line and drain line to alleviate the expense of concrete removal required to bury the lines underground. This was needed for the installation of a high-end coffee machine. Above the staff area is currently a large amount of visible and unorganized storage, which the ETCDC proposes to partially obscure by the installation of aesthetic wooden pallets mounted vertically along the edges of the storage area walls, which only run to a height of roughly eight feet. An aesthetic wooden screen wall was also proposed to help visually separate the coffee shop area from the thrift store check-out counter, as well as to obscure the backside of the coffee bar. All walls in this area are to be painted and the new logo” The Bridge— Coffee and Community” is to be added above one of the new fireplaces. The interior metal columns are also proposed to get a new, brighter coat of paint.   

The concept plan also proposes the installation of a new glass, roll-up garage door to allow natural light to flood the end of the building. Other outdoor features proposed include new exterior paving where necessary; the addition of two ADA parking spaces next to a new entrance, a new concrete stair with handrail to the parking lot; and a small patio on the outside portion of the garage door to be enhanced by adding outdoor furniture and potentially painting or staining the asphalt or adding pavers. The Bridge logo is proposed to be painted above the new door awning on the outside of the building to highlight the entrance.

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