Working Together Really K&M Works Three west Georgia couples make happiness their business
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elationships already require effort, even without any extra pressure. So, it should be no surprise that most couples balk at the idea of running a business together. Marriage and small business ownership both demand plenty of patience and a kind of commitment that, in a culture built partly on individualism, unnerves those who dream of rootless freedom. Reports of a 50 percent divorce rate, coupled with stories of doomed startup attempts are not encouraging. Yet, family-run businesses pop up all the time. And there are many who make it work. Successful couples start with a sturdy foundation; a bond built on communication and mutual respect. That’s the same formula that helps build a healthy business. When these traits are combined in the right way, the job can actually strengthen the marriage. Potential stressors on a relationship never even come to mind. Indeed, for some, the collaboration remains the easiest, most advantageous part of the business endeavor.
Coffee
Michael and Kellie Smith, owners of K&M Coffee Co. in Tallapoosa. Kellie and Michael Smith Tallapoosa, Haralson County
You can tell that the owners have warm and creative personalities; they’re the perfect kind of people for the coffee business.
&M Coffee stands in the middle of a strip of brick buildings in downtown Tallapoosa. The store faces the railroad tracks that split downtown in half, a view that adds to the store’s rustic, small-town character. The interior is filled with dark wood and low lighting, complemented by a flood of natural light pouring in from the front windows. The walls are lined with various photographs and paintings from wall to wall.
They met in Virginia. Michael was in the Navy and one day walked into the nightclub where Kellie worked. Now they’ve been together for 17 years, and married for nine.
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“We’re kind of an artsy family,” Kellie Smith says. The space is the kind of cozy, yet polished and chic atmosphere perfect for anyone looking to sit down with a dark coffee and catching up on work, or to finish a book. “We love it when people walk in and say ‘it’s so comfortable in here’” To the right sits a desk saddled with crafts and notebooks, with an open purse on the chair and a sweater over the back. Kellie keeps her own work area out in the open, right across from the counter. “I’ve got my stuff strewn everywhere, so it’s like my second home.” “We wanted to be more of an old, homey kind of place,” says her husband, Michael.
STORY BY COLLEEN DONNELLY PHOTOS BY RICKY STILLEY
They bought the building on East Alabama Street in 2007 and expected to open K&M soon after the purchase. Not quite. “We didn’t think it was going to be that long, so we popped up a sign that said “coming soon.” People started referring to us as the ‘Coming Soon Café.’” After three years of construction and renovations, the Coming Soon Café evolved into K&M Coffee. Michael had wanted a coffee shop for years. “Going around in the Navy, I always visited coffee shops, and always thought I would want one.” Kellie had her own dream as well, which they included in the business. “She was into a restaurant-type atmosphere, so we kind of combined the two into K&M” They also combine their individual skills to make the business work. Kellie worked as an office manager and understands how to run a store. Michael knows construction, so he takes care of the maintenance. For this couple, co-owning a coffee shop works better for both the relationship and the business.
September/October 2014
West Georgia Living
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