NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — Opening a new business can be risky, but doing it during a pandemic brings more challenges.
One small business owner hopes her new coffee shop brings something unique and positive to Jessamine County during this time.
“We have been, as a family, talking about it for forever. My family has been in the restaurant industry for multiple years and we just decided, you know, why not? We think it will be a good thing to do,” said Kara Hoagland, owner of Coffee @ Oak & Main.
Hoagland says they planned to open the shop earlier in the year, but it was delayed because of the pandemic. She says the decision to move forward was difficult but realized they could bring something new to the area.
“We just decided to continue on with it,” she said. “The community needs it. There's no other coffee place in Nicholasville.”
Hoagland says she hopes that idea and being able to observe how the pandemic has affected things over many months works in their favor.
“You know, there are always going to be things thrown at you that you're not expecting, especially as the pandemic changes month to month, week to week, day to day sometimes,” she said. “So, you just, you don't know what to expect but you just roll with it. We just have learned to take it day by day and continue to grow.”
Along with the new coffee shop, Hoagland also owns a makeup salon, Oak & Main, next door. Running the two businesses, she hopes that corner becomes a central spot downtown to help others, by using Kentucky products, like coffee beans, selling local merchandise, and hosting event and meeting space.
“We are trying to build a sense of community here in Nicholasville,” said Hoagland.
Coffee @ Oak & Main is open Monday through Saturday. Hoagland says they’re working to provide online ordering for pickup and hope to have that ready next weekend.
You can learn more about the businesses here.
