The Good Cup in Grassland Celebrates 15 Years

The Good Cup
credit The Good Cup

The Good Cup in the Grassland community is a place where not only coffee is served but, in the words of owner Amanda Taylor, “to show love” which she says is the key ingredient to the coffee shop’s longevity.

“To show love to those we work with, to love those that walk through our door, to show love to our shop neighbors, vendors and delivery drivers. My employees understand that each person walking up to the counter is a person needing to be shown some love, a smile, or even a hug sometimes. That is how simple success can be, even when the success didn’t feel so simple,” says Taylor.

Surprisingly when Taylor first set out to start a gathering spot, there were a few elements she took note of, and she admits she didn’t enjoy coffee at the time.

“From the beginning of my coffee shop explorations around the country (2004-2007) I took mental notes of each place I tried. I felt drawn to places that had mismatched furniture with cozy nooks, bookshelves of random books people dropped off for others to read or take home, local artwork & photography, a simple drink menu, and the people behind the counter was either the owner or roaster who knew all the customers that came into their establishment. All these things drew me to the whole coffee world and honestly at the beginning of my exploration I didn’t even like drip coffee. Of course, that has now changed. Today I still see some of these quaint places, mostly at the mom and pop shops, but now coffee has become more sophisticated & customers have more options, as well as expensive options. I miss the simplicity of coffee houses, where everyone knows your name.”

On Friday, June 15, The Good Cup celebrated their 15th year in business with cupcakes, prizes, and music from one of their regular customers Rick Duvall who was joined by fiddler, Stephan Dudash along with Allison Benca.

The Good Cup first opened back in 2003 by Anne Sale. It was Sale who hired Taylor to work at the coffee shop before she took over as the owner.

“Running a business is by no means easy. We have good days and we have days when everything seems to go wrong, but the continual support of the community has been what keeps us going. I could go on and on about the incredible people that come through our doors. The people that come in every day and the ones that come in several times a day. They are the ones that give me the inspiration to keep going when things get tough or on the days when I feel overwhelmed”, said Taylor.

” Over these 11 years, The Good Cup employees and customers have become like family. They’ve been there when I got engaged, married, saw me in my pregnant stages and have seen both my girls grow up.  Anne spent the first 5 1/2 years in business pouring out her heart, along with blood, sweat & tears. The past 9 1/2 years that I’ve been in business has taught me so much about myself, the endless love of my husband, how amazing our community is and how invaluable my employees are.”

The Good Cup is located at 2181 Hillsboro Rd, Franklin. Hours of operation are Monday – Friday 6 a – 6 p, Saturday 7 a – 5 p. and Sunday 8 a – 2p. Follow The Good Cup on Facebook for the latest updates.