Nestled in the heart of downtown Opelika is a company with a big history and an even bigger future.
Jay and Laura Pritchard, along with friends Ty and Ali Mosley, opened The Overall Company in August 2012. The historic building is now flooded with the sounds of Southern music and the smells of fresh coffee and homemade food.
According to Jay, he is the promoter of the business and the storyteller.
“I guess my attribute to the company is the way it feels, the music, our brand — that kind of thing,” he said.
It was his wife Laura, however, who had always dreamed of opening her own coffee shop.
“Actually, that’s how I kind of won her — through coffee. I always liked coffee, but not as much as her,” he said.
The Overall Company is much more than just a coffee shop, however. It is a market for cheese, wine, tea, craft beer and even furniture. The company’s name originates from the building that houses it.
In the mid-1800s, Eagle Brand Overalls were manufactured in the very spot that now brews coffee. During the Civil War, the factory stopped making overalls in order to make uniforms for the Southern military.
“It was kind of neat to be able to bring back the old brand and refocus it for something that would work here, and create a sense of community and create jobs and create some excitement in Opelika,” Jay said.
The original Eagle Brand Overall Company logo featured an eagle carrying a man in overalls. The new company decided to use the historical logo, but added a cup of coffee and a frozen ice pop in each of the man’s hands.
“I thought what a better way than to bring back that old brand repurposed it as a coffee bar and market and celebrate what made this area great and employed a lot of people,” Jay said.
Ali, who dreamed of one day opening a bakery, also prepares fresh popsicles for the company. With Ali’s expertise in the kitchen and Lauren’s hopes of opening a coffee shop, a new idea was born.
“We merged them together and said, ‘We need to do coffee, pops and a market,’” Jay said.
The couples studied their crafts for two years before combining their knowledge to create the unique charcuterie that is The Overall Company.
They traveled all over the country sampling coffees from markets and businesses that had mastered the craft of brewing coffee. They wrote down everything they loved and deliberated many techniques before deciding which to bring back to lower Alabama.
“The beer, wine, coffee and tea was kind of mine and my wife’s contribution. Ty and Ali — they were the popsicles. They really researched a lot and Ali did a great job making the flavors and coming up with all that stuff,” Jay said.
A few of the flavors that have been offered include banana puddin’, basil lemonade, chocolate hazelnut and watermelon mint.
“The first time I went, I didn’t even get coffee. I tried the salted caramel popsicle and it was so good,” said Meagan McLelland, Auburn University senior in education.
Jay and Lauren decided pour-over coffee would deliver the best quality to their customers. The pour-over method originated in Japan and involves a thin, steady stream of water to be poured over the beans. This process is said to have a superior taste, not to mention flair.
“My favorite product is probably the pour-over. It’s the only way I’ll ever drink my coffee in the morning,” Jay said. “The hand-crafted coffee, the way we do it, you’d have to go to Atlanta or something to get that kind of experience. “
Jay said he hopes The Overall Company can give people a coffee experience they have never had, without having to travel to a major city.
“Everything is going back to hand-crafted, farm-to-table kind of products. It just made sense to bring that to the area,” he said.
In addition to the coffee, Jay is a bit of a music fanatic. He is responsible for choosing the toe-tapping tunes that round out the store’s laid-back atmosphere.
“I pick all the music. I try to keep it southern genres. Like people who have either grown up in the South or indie rock or blues — that kind of thing,” he said.
“But it can’t be too abrasive. It’s gotta be smooth and it’s gotta feel right.”
He said he remembers stopping by the store before its grand opening, which brought in around 1,200 guests, and listening to music on his phone. He turned to a song by the Alabama Shakes, closed his eyes and felt the atmosphere. It’s this kind of attention to the small details that makes The Overall Company the success that it is today.
You won’t hear Jay take credit for this success, however.
“I can’t take any of the credit for this cool stuff,” he said. “We had a lot of great people coming in to help us. Probably like 30 people using their giftings to help us.”
The Overall Company brings a variety of local, hand-made products to a city rich in history and prideful of its area.
“I wanted to celebrate Southern culture, food and music. Overalls are very southern, they have a lot of tie-in to the South. So what better way to celebrate not only this area, what made it great and our southern culture than to bring back something that is lost and to make it cool again?” Jay said.
“And it’s something the community can get behind because it’s something that was here and something that can bring it together.”
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