Two things that are important to Nashville natives: their faith and their coffee. Fortunately, The Well Coffeehouse provides both.
A walk down Belmont Blvd leads to a small strip mall looking over the campus of Lipscomb University. Within a group of five or so small businesses sits a coffee shop, occupying two of the storefronts.
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Walking into the shop feels like walking into a cozy log cabin. The walls lined with reclaimed wood and the smell of overwhelming coffee hits your face just by opening the door.
Mason jars dangle from the ceiling providing dim lighting. The furniture is made with ripped burlap for seating and marked up dark, wood tabletops.
A couple of murals are painted on the walls with a modern touch and reading “Where Coffee Changes Lives”. This is The Well Coffeehouse.
“It’s really laid back, very warm and inviting” said Mary Kem, a frequent customer of The Well Coffeehouse.
The Well is a registered nonprofit organization making their money from selling coffee and cafe-like foods to customers looking to meet up with friends, get work done, or just stop in for a cup of joe in the Hillsboro Village.
Shelves are stocked with goods and creations from the communities The Well supports around the globe, serving as a constant reminder to customers where their money is going and the impact each one of them can make.
Customers can purchase The Well’s own coffee beans, bracelets, mugs, tote bags, clothes, the list goes on, all made from those in communities seeking clean water.
The organization was started by a group of friends looking to help their community on a local and global level.
Globally, The Well works with villages all over the world who have to walk incredibly away to access clean water or do not have an abundance of sanitary water. Usually, these communities reside in Africa, South America, and Central America.
Profits are used to build wells within the community, since some have to send people far to find clean, accessible water, said Tyler Osborne, a barista at The Well Coffeehouse on Belmont Blvd.
The Well’s team goes out into these communities and digs a hole and puts a tap within it. However, often times those taps can break. They don’t want to give and then leave not knowing if the community is going to be successful, said Osborne.
“We want to establish community and relationships with the people we are serving so that we can serve them better in the long run,” said Osborne.
Customers feel better spending money at The Well because they know exactly where their money is going.
“You don’t feel like you’re necessarily donating. I’ve never heard of a nonprofit being a business like The Well is,” said Erin Stanton, a customer of the Well Coffeehouse and freshman at Belmont University.
The main goal of The Well is not just to serve coffee and build wells, but provide kindness and a sense of togetherness among their customers. They hope to inspire people to give back to others in the name of God.
The Well believes that establishing relationships is exactly what the world needs. Often, we become so caught up in our own lives we forget about the needs of others.
“You feel good giving your money here because it’s going to a good cause, plus the coffee is really good,” said Kem.
On a local level, The Well aims to create a sense of community among their customers. Upon walking in, there sits a cork board to the left with the words ‘Wishing Well’ written above. Here, customers may fill out a piece of paper and ask for that they need from the community just by pinning it on the wall.
The little slips of paper are filled with things ranging from prayer requests about moving into a new home to asking for physical needs such as a pair of gloves for the upcoming winter.
The coffeehouse wants to act as a “well” for people in Nashville too, hoping they can provide for their community, much like the physical wells donated in Togo and Uganda.
“When we say ‘well’ we mean somewhere where you can come and drink. Not necessarily physical liquid, but you can drink in community and you can drink in love, and you can drink in other people,” said Osborne.
The Well also hopes to change what it means to be a business. Businesses are very caught up in commercial gain and selfishness.
“We are really trying to create an environment and get the word out saying ‘hey, business can be for something else other than just to make money for yourself,” said Osborne.
“We come into work everyday knowing that we’re fighting for something specifically and not just pouring coffee, like you’ll find at most coffee shops,” said Osborne
Through the organization’s roots in faith, The Well Coffeehouse wants to change was gain is all about, one coffee cup at a time”
“People are choosing to come here for a reason knowing that what they’re putting their money into isn't going to big corporate organization,” said Kem.
As of now, The Well has three locations, two in Nashville and one in Indianapolis. As of next winter there are hopes to have two more, one downtown Nashville and one in Belview, Tennessee.
Their goal isn’t to franchise but to build a name for themselves and sell their companies to individuals who feel inspired by their faith and want to continue the mission of The Well.
