Greenhouse Coffee – A Place Where People Can Come and Be

"A place where people can come and be"

Coming soon –  Greenhouse Coffee. It’s just to the right of the BP/Dairy Queen.

They’re hiring now and planning to be open the third week of September.

I spoke with Camille Phillips several weeks ago and asked what her inspiration was. Her response was thrilling – she wanted the challenge, wanted to take the things the loves to do – coffee, baking, serving – and bring them all together. Camille was an Air Force nurse, then a nurse in Charlottesville and now the owner/proprietor of Crozet’s newest coffee shop/cafe.

Her passion is infectious.

A very interesting comment she made was that "as many people asked for wireless as those who asked for me to not have wireless." And she may be on to something. This could be a big shift in the away from the expected coffee shop atmosphere – and perhaps a return to the "traditional" coffee shop – where people come to engage and discuss rather than work on their laptops. If she does make this decision, I think she may be on to something.

From the Wall Street Journal:

But in New York, the trend is accelerating among independents. At Cocoa Bar locations in Brooklyn and on the Manhattan’s Lower East Side, a five-month-old rule forbids laptops after 8 on Friday and Saturday nights. At Espresso 77 in Jackson Heights, Queens, owners covered three of five electric outlets six months ago after its loosely enforced laptop-use restrictions failed to encourage turnover. At two of three Café Grumpy locations — one in Brooklyn and the other in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood — laptops are never welcome.

Laptop backlash poses particular difficulties for people without offices, says Leah Meyerhoff, 29, a film director and free-lancer. She long has used coffee shops to interview cast and crew and to work on pre-production. Now, she says, "it’s a constant search for places with the Internet where I can sit and focus without being frowned upon."

As much as I want to develop this into a full-fledged review/introduction to Greenhouse Coffee, I thought that sharing some of my notes would help to convey a good first impression of the space/idea/concept/plan:

What’s Greenhouse Coffee going to be?

– Coffee bar, lunch, cafe homebaked goods, desserts

– Fenced in play space for kids

– The feel of Cville Coffee (she worked at Cville Coffee part-time for a year)- separate spaces for kids and adults

– Picnic tables

– Outdoor section – parties, tents

– "Gardening is one of my passions"

– Natural meet with friends, kids,

– Welcome.

– Ecologically friendly, sociologically aware.

– Energy efficient – tried to save everything

As the other Crozet coffee shops are finding, the hours of operation are expected to be a bit fluid until traffic is assessed. When we spoke, Camille was leaning towards 6:15 am to 6pm.

I know this – I’ll be stopping by as I’m walking to and from Crozet Elementary this school year.

*Editor’s note: this story is much shorter than I intended it to be; I just don’t have the time to translate all my notes into the long story I meant to write.


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15 Replies to “Greenhouse Coffee – A Place Where People Can Come and Be”

  1. Greenhouse Coffee is going to be REAL Crozet Virginia (pun intended!) Camille’s warm and gracious personality will make this THE go-to place in Crozet and western Albemarle. Yes, check your email before you leave home. Greenhouse is real Crozet for real (not virtual) folks. Can’t wait!
    Joe

  2. Janet –

    Same here. Mudhouse & Trailside are both kid-friendly, but I’m expecting the environment/vibe of Greenhouse to be more explicitly kid-friendly …

  3. I haven’t heard much about Greenhouse coffee. Are they going to open this spring?
    I think it is important for Greenhouse to develop a niche now that there are other coffee houses in town. We need something that has actual healthy food without comprimising taste. We need a place that serves sandwiches on whole grain breads. We need a place that also serves healthful organic ingredients with some low calorie options. We need some baked items that are sugar free that are sweetened with agave or stevia. We dont need a duplicate of whats already out there. This would be good to go with the theme of no wifi radiation, etc. Thanks for listening.

  4. The Greenhouse is COMING!

    And it will have been worth the wait.
    BREAKFAST, lunch, coffee, sandwiches, pastries — oh yeah!

    Joe

    1. I’m really hoping the rumor is true. I have an email out seeking confirmation and will report back as soon as I know anything.

  5. is it for real breakfast? with ham and eggs and bacon and sausage and pancakes and such? or is it just the basic stuff you can get at mudhouse and trailside?

  6. healthy options and kid friendly spaces are a must in any food/drink establishments. Trailside has both, great breakfast and lunch options are available on whole wheat. And what could be more kid friendly than ice cream and pull up curbside service. Keep up the great work TRAILSIDE!!

  7. Jen,
    I couldn’t agree with you more. Marcia has done a great job with Trailside Coffee and I frequently get my coffee fix there. She has been very encouraging in our trial to get a business off the ground and I respect her immensely. Green House Coffee aims to be welcoming to patrons of all ages in the Crozet area. We will focus on fresh, local, wholesome food and drink… Breakfast WILL include made- to- order sandwiches with eggs, bacon, sausage & vegetarian options. “Slow Food” , lovingly prepared, is a passion of mine that I hope to share through Green House Coffee.

    Sincerely, Camille Phillips
    Green House Coffee

  8. Camille,
    The thought of having a real breakfast and coffee right in Crozet is incredible…can’t wait…!!
    Slow food…mmmmm.

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