Erin Harrell is the driving force behind one of La Porte’s newest businesses: Evvy’s Coffeehouse. Evvy’s Coffeehouse is young, just eight weeks old, but it's already bringing the community together and becoming a staple in La Porte.
“I think we’ve been well-received, and it’s getting busier and busier. We’re starting to sort of find our patterns as far as business levels and stuff go, and we’re getting a little more consistent,” Harrell said.
The original idea for the coffeehouse came from a business plan that Harrell wrote for a coffee truck before the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan turned into a brick-and-mortar location after a temporary tenant moved out of the location, which was a real estate investment between Harrell and her husband.
“My husband and I had bought that property last summer just as a real estate investment. We were just going to rent it out and just have it as an investment property. But while I had been on maternity leave with our second daughter, Evelyn, I had written a business plan for a coffee truck that I was going to open. Right before that sort of came to fruition and got serious, COVID hit,” Harrell said. “So, that idea kind of went out the window. Then my husband, who was a real estate agent, mentioned that it was zoned commercial and residential and thought maybe we could think of something commercial to do.”
The name Evvy’s Coffeehouse has two meanings. The first meaning comes from Harrell’s daughter’s nickname, Evvy, as well as meaning life in many languages.
“Evelyn is our daughter and Evvy is her nickname, but when we were playing around with what we would name this thing, and with our other daughter, Madeline, the initial thought was it has to be ‘Madeline’s Coffeehouse,’ but that just didn’t fit. It’s too long, it’s too many letters, and it doesn’t look good. So then my husband was like, ‘Okay, well, what about Evvy?’ Evelyn has its own meaning, but Evvy, just as its own, means life in a lot of older languages like Greek, Latin, and Hebrew,” Harrell said. “So that was kind of when we envisioned the shop. We envisioned it as a place that would always be full of life, even in the winter. We want to have it bright and airy and full of plants. So, the meaning of life really fit with what we were going for.”
Although Evvy’s Coffeehouse hasn’t been around for long, Harrell is already seeing her work pay off. Harrell acknowledges that the coffeehouse has been rewarding in two different ways. The first is her kids watching the process and falling in love with the place, and the second is bringing the community together.
“I’d say it’s twofold. One would be our kids seeing all the hard work and effort that we put into it: seeing us go to the shop and seeing us working. They would come in and play while we were building it and see it transition into what it is now. It’s their favorite place to go, which is awesome,” Harrell said. “And then second would be when we visualized it, I wanted it to be a place where everybody of all walks of life could come and feel comfortable and be able to call it their own. We’ve been able to have so many different people come in, but I watch senior citizens come in and cozy up to read a book for four hours. There have been mom playdates that meet up in the backyard, we’ve seen dates happen, we’ve seen church groups meet up, and businessmen making it their daily morning stop. Just seeing it become a part of people’s lives has been really rewarding, and I hope that continues for more and more people.”
Evvy’s Coffeehouse is known for its coffee but offers a wide variety of drinks, pastries, and small bites to eat. All of the pastries are fresh and baked daily, and Evvy’s Coffeehouse has recently started doing daily soups with fresh baguettes. Harrell plans to offer breakfast sandwiches and small meals moving forward, but what really separates Evvy’s Coffehouse from the competition is its unique ingredients and beans.
“Our coffee is the biggest difference for us. It’s locally roasted from Yaggy Road. The head roaster makes the best coffee I’ve ever had, and he imports all of his beans from all over the world. He roasts weekly for us, so we have an exclusive blend that’s just for us. The difference in the taste and the flavor profile is 100% different from what you’re going to find at the big chains. Anyone coming in for the first time has to get the coffee,” Harrell said.
With a unique mix of ingredients and dedication to bringing people together, Evvy’s Coffeehouse is more than just another coffee spot. It’s another member of the community.
“We’re not a drive-thru Starbucks. That’s not what we’re trying to do. We want to be a place that feels like it's really a part of the community, that supports the community. The community supports us, and we’re working with different charities and doing things in the community to do some fundraisers,” Harrell said. “We really just want to be a place where people are like, ‘That’s our spot.’”
Erin Harrell has been able to fill a much-needed gap in the La Porte community. Evvy’s Coffeehouse is fastly becoming one of La Porte’s premier community spots where everyone is welcomed and accepted with no exceptions. To learn more about Evvy’s Coffehouse offerings and mission, visit https://evvyscoffee.com/.