‘The Coffee Company’ brings big flavors to small town

* Story by Angela Cutrer and Photos by Brandon Hyde *

Frankie Bailey loves where she works in a town that she adores. Not many people can say that, but Bailey sure can.

“I love Elizabethton, for sure,” said the owner of The Coffee Company in downtown Elizabethton. “I’m proud of my staff at The Coffee Company and honored to have such a group of people work for me. No business is based on one person; my general manager, Shannon Sheets, brings that care and attention to make sure this is a remarkable place with food people love.”

Bailey cares about the regulars who grace her space, but also the new people — those just moving to town or tourists just visiting for a time. “They enjoy the beautiful mountains, and so do I,” she said. “Whether they come for breakfast or lunch or during their work break, we want them to enjoy the environment of our space. We want to feel as a cafe would, no matter the reason for their visit.”

The Coffee Company is a full-service restaurant that’s been in business for 25 years. Bailey has run the place the last five. “We have a lot of handcrafted items,” she said of their offerings. “We have original soups, chicken salad (our best seller), sandwiches and, of course, coffee.”

Bailey, originally from Michigan, moved to northeast Tennessee “following a love,” she admits with a chuckle. While here, she worked at The Coffee Company and for the city school system. She later married and has two children — one born in Michigan and one here in Tennessee. After a short return up north, Bailey came back to Tennessee and back to The Coffee Company. She’s not had cause yet to regret that decision.

“It’s the people, the scenery, everything,” she said. “We have 25 employees and we manage to have a lot of fun in the midst of a lot of work.”

Bailey returned to Elizabethton with the idea of buying The Coffee Company when former owners John and Lisa Bunn were ready to retire. “I was crazy enough to jump in,” she says with a good-natured snicker.

Bailey is truly awed by Elizabethton and its sense of community. She gets to meet people from all walks of life at her business and loads of tourists, too. She gets to visit with them when they come in for drip coffees, scones, muffins, cake or a smoothie.

The menu of The Coffee Company includes scrumptious offerings such as a three-salad plate (“chicken, tuna and egg salad with tomatoes and flatbread crackers”) and a pear and goat cheese salad (“fresh pear, candied walnuts, golden raisins, goat cheese, organic spring mix with balsamic vinaigrette”).

Perhaps you are in the mood for pastries? They have cinnamon rolls, muffins, biscotti and danish. Breakfast items (available 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.) include a breakfast plate (eggs, bacon or sausage and toast) and a bagel sandwich (egg, Swiss and ham).

For lunch, you could get an “Ole Smokey” (“mounds of baked ham on an artisan ciabatta roll with cheddar, red onion, lettuce, tomato and signature shallot dill spread”) or a soup of the day.

During this recent holiday season, a “Dolly Parton Christmas songs” theme determined the flavor of the day to coincide with a song. One popular flavor has been the eggnog cinnamon scone. “It’s yummy,” Bailey said.

“We try to use our creativity to keep on our toes, and many people have said that The Coffee Company is ‘the living room of Elizabethton,’” she said with pride. “That’s what we want — whether someone comes in for a charcuterie board, blueberry goat cheese turkey sandwich or the ‘Autumn Turkey’ (with smoked Gouda and apples on focaccia bread with apple butter), we keep watch on trends. We are not a big city with all those kinds of options, but we are always inspired to develop new flavors for the city we are in.”

The business keeps things in the family by buying locally. It purchases its coffee from a neighbor across the street, Doe River Roasters. “It’s a sister company and we buy from them several times a week,” Bailey added.

That means freshness at The Coffee Company is as fresh as fresh can be. And the customers know it.

“Appalachian Morning is a medium-roast favorite around town,” Bailey said. The business also offers flavored hot or iced coffees such as mocha, mango, butter rum and sugar free varieties.

The Coffee Company is located at 444 East Elk Ave., with hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Lunch is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit https://www.experiencingcoffee.com/ for menu options or call 423-542-3438 for more information.

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