Lindsey Hull
Beth Woodrum, co-owner of Chris's Coffee & Custard.
Recent visitors to Chris’s Coffee & Custard in southeast Roanoke might have noticed something new brewing. An upright, semi-permanent brick paver display has been installed in front of their coffee shop at 1824 9th Street. The pavers have been the cornerstone of fundraising for LovAble Services, the shop’s non-profit parent organization.
For the past five years, co-owners and mother-son pair Beth and Chris Woodrum have been selling engraved pavers to raise money for LovAble Services, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting young adults with special abilities. Those pavers were the basis of a planned walkway in front of their coffee shop, according to Beth Woodrum.
When it came time to install the walkway this past spring, Beth Woodrum was faced with a problem. The building owner was not agreeable to installing a new walkway in front of the shop, according to Woodrum.
“We were going to have to dig into the pavement and [the owner] didn’t want us doing that,” = Woodrum says.
Robbie Hebert, owner of the building that houses Chris’s Coffee & Custard and the adjacent Lab Sports Performance, was not available to comment.
The Woodrums had been working with Glade Hill-based Seven Oaks Landscape Hardscape to design the walkway. Instead of laying the bricks as planned, the landscaping company helped the Woodrums find a semi-permanent solution to displaying the pavers.
“We love an opportunity to get creative,” says Allison Welch, marketing manager for Seven Oaks Landscape Hardscape. “When we learned that Chris’s Coffee & Custard wasn’t able to put the pavers on the ground, we contacted our friends at Marshall Stone who donated the paver display frames.” Seven Oaks Landscape Hardscape then modified the frames to fit the bricks and the allocated space.
“It was a privilege to participate in this project and support a small business that shares our vision ‘to be caretakers of God’s creation, providing opportunities for rest, relaxation and social enjoyment,’” Welch says. Her team enjoyed a custard after the work was finished.
Site One Landscaping Supply was also involved in the landscaping project, according to Beth Woodrum.
Chris’s Coffee & Custard has nearly filled four of the six donated displays with approximately 320 previously-purchased engraved pavers. They will continue to sell engraved pavers until all six displays are filled, Beth Woodrum said. Customized pavers can be ordered for $100 each.
“The community has been so gracious,” Woodrum says, regarding their partnership with the local landscaping businesses. “We’ve had just amazing donors.”
Community support has been invaluable to the coffee shop’s success, according to Beth Woodrum. The interior walls of Chris’s Coffee & Custard feature the names of individuals and businesses that have consistently supported the shop and LovAble Services.
“It’s really important to me to recognize the people who have helped,” she says.
She hopes that support will keep pouring in. LovAble Services currently has three main fundraisers: the paver sales, an annual gala, and an annual cookie date with Santa. Of those,the gala will take place on September 28. Chris’s Cocoa & Cookies with Santa will be held November 30 through December 2.
These three fundraisers are integral to supporting the mission of LovAble Services.
Chris’s Coffee & Custard is the on-site job training location for LovAble Services, Woodrum says. The organization employs 32 young adults and support staff at the coffee shop. Some of those folks only work a couple of hours a week. Others work up to 28 hours a week. All of them learn the value of making people feel welcome through excellent customer service, she said.
Chris’s Coffee & Custard often hires retired special education teachers or local high schoolers and young adults to work as support staff. “It's really nice to have young adults that are the same age as our employees because they relate so well with each other,” Woodrum says.
Chris’s employees will soon hit the road, as the coffee shop prepares for the launch of a new food truck. Unless otherwise earmarked, funds raised this year will go towards opening Chris’s Custard Truck, according to Beth Woodrum. Noke Van Company, owned by Justin and Keri VanBlaricom, is handling the truck renovations.
The truck will hit the streets in September. They plan to serve waffle cone tacos at Roanoke’s Taco Fest on September 9. Chris’s Custard Truck will also be available for weddings and private events, according to Woodrum.
“We just want to get our young adults out and let people meet them,” Woodrum says.
Learn more about Chris's Coffee & Custard at their website here.