New Midlands coffee shop opens, emphasizing faith, community and local beans
A couple familiar to Lexington’s Old Mill has opened a new coffee shop there, emphasizing their Christian faith but also hoping to create a positive space that is welcoming to all.
The Tent Coffee Shop is the brainchild of Sabrina Seidenstricker, who previously operated Salon B in the circa-1890s former cotton mill turned shopping complex, and her husband, Doug, who moved to the area in 2013 to help open the Old Mill Brewpub, from which he has since stepped away.
The couple met through their association with the mill, with Sabrina having first opened her salon in the space now occupied by Lexington Paint & Pour before moving it to a prominent spot at the front of the building. That storefront at 711 E Main St., below the smoke stack next to Hazelwood Brewing Company, is now home to The Tent.
With her salon business dominated by weddings, of which she said she does about 30 a year now, she felt it was time to step back from operating a brick-and-mortar studio to focus on family.
“I really just want to shift my priorities more and be more focused on the home front,” Sabrina said, explaining that she had the idea for a coffee shop in the space and had to convince Doug, who was somewhat reticent to get back into the food service industry.
The salon closed down in November, and the couple began working to transform the space into the cozy coffee shop that softly opened last week.
Doug noted with excitement the timing of their arrival, with the coming opening of a 1-mile walking trail around the newly repaired Old Mill pond and dam set to increase foot traffic in and around the shopping complex.
Sabrina noted that they hope to team with the local OPEX gym to provide healthy shakes for people looking to exercise on the trail.
The biggest emphasis for the couple, though, is to create a space that allows them to minister their faith to folks who are willing to listen, while also fostering a place where the community can generally gather for positive and affirming conversation. They hope to eventually start a program through which they can sponsor local mission trips.
The shop’s name is inspired by a Bible verse from Isaiah — “Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes.”
“I don’t care if you’re a Muslim, I don’t care if you’re black, white, Asian, I don’t care what you believe,” Doug offered. “I’m still gonna love you, and I’m still gonna make you a damn good cup of coffee.”
The couple said their Christian faith will likely be reflected in the way the shop, which currently has mostly blank walls, ends up being decorated, but they don’t want to force their faith upon those who are just looking for a quick jolt.
“That’s who Jesus was, right? He met people where they were,” Sabrina said. “He didn’t say, ‘Oh, well, I can’t hang with you.’ He didn’t beat people up. He just kind of met them where they were and then showed them a little grace and love. I think that’s what we want people to feel.”
As to their beverages, they’re emphasizing quality local coffee and espresso. They’ve teamed with Lake Murray Coffee Roasters (the wholesale arm of Krafty Koffee) for their beans, with Doug emphasizing how much he likes the Nicaraguan espresso blend they are starting out with; it gives off flavor notes of fruit and chocolate.
Delivering a high-quality local cup of coffee is a key differentiation they will lean on as they compete with drive-thru chains that have become increasingly common in the Lexington area — with Clutch and Biggby recently joining the variety of Starbucks already operating in and around the town.
Eventually, they hope to add a small artisanal food menu, featuring items such as flatbreads, melts, bagels and sandwiches.
“It’s not just a corporate bean that’s been roasted and you’re not sure how old it is or where it’s roasted,” Doug said of their coffee, noting that they often get their beans within 24 hours of them being roasted. “Most of that stuff will be local wholesale. Even down to the dairy. At some point, we’re going to wholesale, probably, dairy locally. It’ll be a little more expensive, but it is what it is, that’s who we are.
“That’s why you come to The Tent,” he added. “It’s local. You’re getting a little bit of love from Jesus, and you’re gonna have a damn good cup of coffee.”
The shop is currently open 6 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Saturday, but those hours are likely to change when it finishes its soft opening phase, with Doug adding that they will probably add Sunday hours and drop Mondays.
This story was originally published March 13, 2024 at 5:30 AM.
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