After three years of running The Overall Company at its original location, owners Jay and Laura Pritchard knew it was a time for a change.
“The space was too large for what we need, so we decided to leave that space and open a pop-up store at John Emerald Distillery,” Jay said.
The Overall Company is a boutique coffee and popsicle shop originally located in downtown Opelika.
The original space was so large the Pritchards felt they had to rent out the space for events and the upstairs room for art shows, and they didn’t like that.
“For us, we don’t want to be in the event business," Laura said. "We want to be in the coffee and pops business.”
Jay and Laura based their decision to close the original store off the model of other small businesses that went on to thrive.
“I read about great companies and ‘the pivot,’" Jay said. "Like when Chick-fil-A started out, they weren’t Chick-fil-A. They were the Dwarf House. They sold hamburgers, and then there was the pivot that took them to where they are now. This is kind of like our pivot moment.”
The couple knew the old space of their shop would be hard to replicate and that would make it harder for The Overall Company to grow to other cities.
“You just can’t do 5,000-square-foot buildings wherever you go," Jay said. "It just doesn't make sense.”
After closing the original shop, Jay and Laura worked out a deal with longtime friends Jimmy Sharp and his father John Sharp, owners of John Emerald Distillery. This led to the decision to open a temporary pop-up shop in the distillery.
“John and Jimmy have been great customers and friends to us, and our businesses, Overall Company and John Emerald, are very similar in like-minded spirit,” Jay said.
Jimmy was glad Overall would be coming to their tasting room.
“We talked to them a lot when we were first opening, and they were helpful to us," Jimmy said. "And I was a patron of theirs regularly as well, so when it came time for them to be looking for somewhere to be, while they're trying to decide where they are going to be permanently, it seemed like a good fit. We felt good about it, they felt good about it, so here we are."
Jay said he is particularly excited for the opportunity to make custom drinks featuring both John Emerald spirits and The Overall Company coffee.
“Some of our hours are going to overlap when the tasting room is open, and so that gives us an opportunity to have some of our coffees mix in with some of their spirits," Jay said. "So you might get some signature drinks that cross pollinate, and that will be fun.”
The owners of Overall also find music important and like the shows that already occur at John Emerald.
“There’s already a lot of collaboration for music happening down there, a lot of great shows already at the distillery, which also compliments our brand because it is something we believe in,” Laura said.
The Pritchards hope their new model for The Overall Company will put more emphasis on the customer and therefore make it a better experience for those purchasing their coffee or pops.
The couple said the new model of their shop will put a greater focus on hospitality. A major inspiration for the owners is the work of S. Truett Cathy of Chick-fil-A.
“We’ve read all of Cathy’s books," Laura said. "We met (S. Truett Cathy), we’ve been to the headquarters, we’ve seen Dwarf Houses. We’ve spent a lot of time with Chick-fil-A.”
With the downsizing of Overall and by simplifying their menu, the couple hopes to make sure their company is known for hospitality in the coffee community.
After approximately one year at John Emerald, the owners plan to build a new location for The Overall Company and later branch out to other cities.
“It would be in-state first, but we would go out from there," Jay said. "We got some eyes on some cities, but we can’t really discuss it because we aren’t ready to release it. But you will see us in other cities, and that’s exciting.”
The Pritchards also hope to continue to build communities through their shop.
“What I love about having the coffee is that it is one of the few businesses you can build a community around, because you can’t do that anywhere else," Jay said. "It’s hard to do it at a restaurant or even a bar, to have just a place to go and be there. With a coffee shop, you can do that."
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