A new coffee shop recently opened in the Denbigh shopping center.
The owner, Emily Weathers, a real estate agent from Dallas, decided to open Lucky Cup Coffee with her parents, Tom and Linda Woodson.
“I love coffee,” she said. “I’m from Texas so our motto is to go big or go home.”
She said the family opened the coffee shop because her father hated the Starbucks prices and believed if he opened a coffee shop, he’d have cheaper prices.
Inside, the coffee shop layout is similar to the Seattle-based chain with a glass counter with pastries, small tables and free WiFi. Even the baristas wear green, tieback aprons.
On the far side of the wall next to the barista station and main counter is a fountain drink soda machine, a tea bar and a chips display.
There is also wooden bar top seating, a community board in the entryway and even a suggestion box.
The shop’s coffee comes from the Eastern Shore Coastal Roasting Company, which Weathers said is a family and female-owned business.
Coffee lovers have options of different creamers such as the standard regular and nonfat milk to soy, almond and even coconut milk.
Their most popular drink? Caramel macchiato.
The store also offers coffee made with CBD oil, Weathers added.
The main difference between Starbucks and this new coffee shop besides the prices? There are gaming machines — charitable gaming.
She said they have partnered with Virginia Union University and Virginia Hispanic Foundation to give scholarship funds to economically disadvantaged kids’ education.
A portion of the coffee shop’s proceeds go back to charity, she added.
“They rent space from us,” Weathers said, who was involved with charitable gaming previously.
When asked why she named the shop Lucky Cup Coffee, Weathers said she felt lucky and wanted to come up with a cute name.
The store’s motto is “Changing the world, one coffee cup at a time”.
Future plans for Weather is to expand the Lucky Cup Coffee brand by opening more locations in Virginia: two in Virginia Beach and two in Richmond.
“We want to be the neighborhood coffee,” Weathers said.
Lucky Cup Coffee, 14346 Warwick Blvd. Ste. 428, is open Mondays-Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
For more information, visit their Facebook page.
