Jo’s Coffee Shack Open For Business

Philip and Amanda Moreland were having success with Shave & Flave, their shaved ice business they opened in their own backyard in 2017, but the time was right to find a new spot.

The former Clark’s Pharmacy building had been sitting vacant for nearly a year at 194 Old Highway 66 when the Morelands jumped on the opportunity to not only move Shave & Flave inside, but expand with Jo’s Coffee Shack.

The doors opened February 1 and so far, Amanda said the move has been a good one.

“On our first day, we ran out of everything,” she said. 

Shave & Flave’s previous location was so weather-dependent, Amanda said. However, it was a popular spot in the summertime.

“The weather was always a factor, but everybody loves it,” she said. “We had church groups, family meet-ups and kids coming in after ball games.”

Shave & Flave will remain a seasonal business, but Jo’s Coffee Shack will be serving year-round.

“It’s too much to keep up Shave & Flave all year,” Amanda said. “There’s a lot of wasted product.”

Jo’s Coffee Shack will give customers a unique experience from any other cafe in town. They took the venture so seriously that they took a family trip with their daughter Kimberly and son Brandon to Georgia to do barista training. 

“It was an eye-opener,” Amanda said. “It was a whole day of training and we learned all the basics and more.”

The family learned frothing, how to serve coffee barista style and the flavors. 

“Going to training opened all of our eyes,” she said. “We were able to create the menu from everything we learned.”

Jo’s Coffee Shack (Jo is Amanda’s middle name) offers house and cafe blend coffee, lattes, cappuccinos, frappucinos, teas and more. Amanda said the prices are set to be as affordable as possible. Doughnuts and bagels are offered as well.

The goal of Jo’s Coffee Shack is to give Bourbon something different and bring the community together over coffee, which Amanda said is very important to her.

“We want to help the community out,” she said. “It’s not just about self-preservation.”

While shaved ice won’t return until summer, Shave & Flave is still selling Gus’ Pretzels year round and Ted Drewes frozen custard when available (Ted Drewes closes between Christmas and Valentine’s Day).