03/23/2026
Hello friends and family –
There has been a rumor going around that we are closed for good. That is not true. . As soon as we saw the sidewalk being cut in half on February 13, we closed the next day, thinking construction was going to start on our block. For whatever reason (we were not informed of when or where construction was happening), they skipped our block and began working on the block North of us. They finally got to our block last week, so we are still not sure how much longer this will take. We will be closed until construction is complete. We have elderly people (some in wheelchairs) who come to the shop, and we are mostly concerned about their safety. Besides that, there is nowhere to park close enough for those who are handicapped.
Unfortunately, life happens, and one of the owner’s parents became very sick. We are now at a stage in our lives where our parents need our support, and they will come first and foremost. Luckily, our family emergency happened while we are closed, after construction began in front of our building.
Yes, we have noticed another coffee shop is going to be our competitor, but they should have a different business plan than ours—we do not have the capability for a drive-through coffee shop, and that is much needed. So, we are happy for them and wish them the best of luck. However, we will continue our business plan of bringing the community together (young and old), where people can still come sit and have coffee while studying or having book clubs or simply meeting face to face with a pastor or friend.
We have been in business for over five years, and our business plan was to serve the community by providing a place for young and old to come together (Gillespie Together—as we called it during COVID) and enjoy a coffee—whether it is plain black (the way some elderly people like it) or a specialty sweet drink (the way the young folk care to drink it).
We saw a need in our community when there was no coffee shop at all. We had zero experience, but we taught ourselves by attending coffee festivals out of state, visited and interviewed other coffee shops, and researched, all while holding full time jobs. We did the best we could. We hired more than a dozen young workers, giving them new skills to carry with them. And we provided a service, location and good conversations to the community for minimal cost to the public and zero profit to the owners, who also did not earn a paycheck from working this business. All wages and tips were given to the employees, not the owners.
We would still love to be able to provide this service to our community, and we hope that our current customers will still be with us when we open back up (as soon as construction is complete). Have a blessed day everyone!! From your friends (and owners) of Gotcha Latte.
