The community is currently raving about the newest addition to the town of Liverpool. Shine Coffee Co., owned by the Roush family of Liverpool, announced their opening day to be December 22, 2020, via social media. Ever since then, no one can get enough of their delicious drinks and cafe food items like the “Granny Sammie” and the signature breakfast sandwich, the “Rise and Shine”
The location of the shop is the old Shuler Cash Store which gives strong historic charm to the new shop. The Shuler Store was a local “hangout” run by Samuel Morris Shuler. Shuler ran the store starting in the 19th century and sold wares and groceries. After the heyday of The Shuler Store, the building had been run down and unusable. Now, 140 years later, the building has been updated for the shop.
I had the pleasure of interviewing one of the owners, Deb Roush, about the shop, their inspirations, and their hopes for the future of Shine Coffee Co.
What made you want to open a coffee shop?
“I've loved coffee shops for a long time, they just have that feeling of 'connection' and warmth and rest.”
What was the inspiration for the name?
“Matt. 5:16 – For His Glory!”
reference- “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 ESV
What do you think makes Shine stand out from other coffee shops and what is your goal for Shine to do for the community?
“Our hope is that people feel welcome and it brightens their day to come in and leave the world behind for a bit while they are at Shine.
[That] Liverpool and surrounding communities would be blessed and encouraged to have a place to grab something to eat and/or drink, meet up with friends, [or]maybe make a new friend! Build Community.”
What made you choose the building that you did?
“As forever residents of Liverpool my husband and I have always loved the building though it was sitting empty for years and had become very run down – we always believed it had great potential, we loved the old storefront and the center of town. When it finally did go up for sale – we took a huge leap of faith!”
What is your vision for the future of the shop?
“Well, our limited vision is probably much smaller than God's greater vision. We know we would like to shine light and love (and good treats haha!) into the neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods. Our hope and prayer are that it is always a place of peace, rest, and joy!”
Where do you get your inspiration/ideas for the types of drinks and food you serve?
“We mostly experiment and do our research on social media and Pinterest and we pay attention to what people and our employees suggest.”
What is your favorite drink?
“My favorite is the espresso drinks, I love Americanos!”
Will Shine be a part of community outreach?
“Yes!! Our desire is always to be a bright light in the community and a good neighbor!
Will Shine do anything to show the historical nature of the building?
“We'd like to hang more historical information inside – photos and articles, etc. - also Liverpool history!”
As you can tell, the owners of Shine base everything they do on their faith. They also took a leap of faith by opening in the middle of a pandemic. They had no way of knowing what could happen after they opened, but things seem to be working out in their favor.
Not only is Shine Coffee Co. a place to get great coffee, but you can also trust that you will have amazing customer service. Their devotion to the community and their willingness to serve is a huge joy during troubling times like now. Only when we work together to be a community will our light shine, and we can take the example from Shine Coffee Co. Being a light to the community shining for all to see!