This occasion had been percolating for nearly 15 months.
Back in 2018, when the owners of Greenwood’s Coffeehouse Five decided to open a Franklin location, they hoped to be up and running in a matter of months.
Though it took longer than anticipated, the wait is over.
“It’s been a long journey, but it’s very gratifying now to see people coming in the door almost constantly. Our desire was to create this very comfortable and inviting place, and I hope that’s what people are finding when they walk in the door,” owner Brian Peters said.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryThe Coffeehouse Five family and fans of the “for-benefit” coffee shop celebrated the opening of its Franklin location on Wednesday, welcoming longtime supporters and new faces into the airy, inviting new space on the courthouse square.
While the new location features coffee roasted in-house and freshly baked pastries, it also provides a compassionate space where people can get counseling services to help improve their lives. Just as its done in Greenwood for the past six years, proceeds from sales at the shop will help fund free premarital and marriage counseling, addiction recovery programs and marriage mentor training.
Two locations will hopefully allow organizers to do more counseling than ever before, Peters said.
“Looking at my calendar, in terms of people who are trying to get an appointment, the need is neverending. The more people who find out what we’re doing, the more people who come to us and need help,” he said.
The smell of brewing coffee and the cinnamon-sweet scent of pastries mingled in the air Thursday morning as small groups gathered inside the spacious dining area of Coffeehouse Five.
With high ceilings, simple tables and chairs, and natural light streaming in through garage door-style windows, the shop created a refreshingly open atmosphere. Staff members hustled to take orders, brew espresso, clean off tables and keep order as customers continually came through the door.
The first two days of the Franklin shop had been successful, Peters said. The downtown location provided ample foot traffic, as people passing by popped in. A number of longtime Greenwood customers had made the short drive down on Wednesday to celebrate opening day.
They could hardly keep their pastry cases full.
“So far, so good,” he said. “There’s been a consistent stream of people coming in.”
Coffeehouse Five was born more than 20 years ago. Peters’s marriage to his wife, Michelle, was falling apart. He was an alcoholic and was having an affair. He and his wife were separated.
But counseling helped Peters treat his addiction, and years of marriage counseling repaired the bonds between he and Michelle. That experience cemented the impact that counseling could have, and Peters became involved with the men’s ministry at Community Church of Greenwood.
When the church asked him to join as a full-time staff member, Peters accepted. He stayed at the church for 10 years, during which time he encountered an increasing number of people who needed counseling but could not afford it.
His focus then became figuring out how to offer counseling for free. Coffee was the answer. He and his family created a coffee shop at Community Church of Greenwood, selling fair-trade brew and bakery items during the day while providing counseling services in the evenings and on weekends.
In 2014, they moved into their own shop in Old Town Greenwood. The coffee shop and counseling services continued to grow, until in 2018, the Peterses decided it might be time to expand. Doing so would increase revenue, which would allow Coffeehouse Five to achieve two of its goals.
First, the Peterses wanted to create a fund to help pay for additional counseling or mental health services they weren’t able to provide.
“I only do marriage and addictions counseling, but often have a need to refer people that I meet with to other mental health professionals,” Peters said. “Often, the people who come to me do so because we don’t charge for services. When we direct them to another mental health professional, they often find it difficult to pay. We want this fund to be available so we can subsidize that.”
More revenue would also provide the means to hire a female counselor to meet one-on-one with females who need addiction counseling.
With a plan in place, they searched for a location, and found an ideal spot for a second shop in downtown Franklin, in the home of the former Marshmallow Monkey store. Though the hope had been to open sometime in the spring of 2019, unforeseen costs and funding issues delayed the opening of the new location, Peters said.
“It was a big leap for us, and the past year and a half has been a constant fundraising effort, to get the funds to purchase the building, and every step of the way it seemed there was more money to spend,” he said. “It’s just been that kind of a journey.”
The facade of Coffeehouse Five had been up for months, with a sign promising “Coming Soon.” Fans of the coffee shop waited with anticipation for the latest addition to a booming downtown Franklin.
Finally, the Peterses announced on social media last week that the new location would open.
Patrons of the Greenwood shop will recognize many of the same coffee drinks, pastries and other creations, as the menu is similar, Peters said.
The new Coffeehouse Five location provides more space for meetings and large groups. With its stage and added seating capacity, it will also eventually host the Sunday worship services that are currently offered in Greenwood, Peters said.
“It provides us with the ability to have larger groups. This space, because it’s so big and open, we have more flexibility,” he said.
Just two days into the opening, Peters is already encouraged by the potential their new location presents.
“We’re thrilled. We couldn’t be more excited. There are so many things we see going on here, a community that’s very connected and supportive of local businesses,” he said. “We’re really excited to be here.”
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Coffeehouse Five
What: A registered nonprofit organization that uses sales of its coffee and baked goods to fund marriage and addiction counseling, as well as other community efforts. The Greenwood-based shop recently opened its second location in Franklin
Where: 323 Market Plaza, Greenwood; 41 W. Monroe St., Franklin
Hours
- Franklin: 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 7:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday
- Greenwood: 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. worship Sunday
How to get help: Free counseling is available to couples and individuals. Appointments may be made at coffeehousefive.com/get-help or by calling 317-300-4330.
Information: coffeehousefive.com
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