Hart and Soul coffee shop closes

On July 7, Hart and Soul coffee shop owner Teresa Hartley announced her decision to close the shop to focus time on her family. Hart and Soul has been located at 1014 Oxmoor Road for over four years.

Attempts to contact Hartley by phone and email were not successful. However, her statement on Facebook and the Hart and Soul website, hartandsoulcafe.com, stated that she is looking for a possible buyer to continue the business. Hartley said she has not yet found the right person for Hart and Soul.

“It is really not just a business, but a mission, a place where we have taken great pride. Not just pride in our products but pride in supporting our community through sponsorships, hiring those in need, and pride in just being there for people,” Hartley said in the statement.

Community members were sad to hear that Hart and Soul would close its doors. Tanisha Garnier said she yelled “No!” at her computer screen when she saw the Facebook post. She had visited Hart and Soul at least once a week while working on her doctoral dissertation proposal, and it was one of her favorite places to work – often with a berry muffin and chicken pesto Panini.

“Between writing paragraphs of my proposal, I loved seeing local children come in from the cold and order their hot chocolates while they waited for their parents or babysitters to pick them up. It just felt like a small town community within the context of a larger city, which made me enjoy getting out of the house and more motivated to complete my work,” Garnier said.

Garnier defended her proposal in March, and when she completes her dissertation, Hart and Soul will be among the people and places in her acknowledgements.

“I know it can be difficult to run a local business, especially in comparison to nationwide chain coffee shops that seem to pop up every few months. But I’m thankful for having the experience of being a patron of this amazing shop,” Garnier said.

Edgewood resident Candice McKibben said her family frequently walked from home to eat at Hart and Soul, especially on Sundays when other restaurants were closed. She remembers taking her young daughter there after visits to the park.

"We're so sad that it's closing," McKibben said. "My husband swears it's the best French dip he's ever had."

The Edgewood Boys’ Bible Club was a monthly fixture at Hart and Soul during the past two school years. Around 30 boys would come for breakfast and to listen to a speaker before walking to school. Among them were Edgewood Elementary fifth graders J.W. Bird and David Young. Both said they would miss their mornings at the coffee shop.

“They even let us pile all of our backpacks right by the front door, and it was a lot of backpacks,” Bird said. “We learned a lot during those meetings and looked forward to them every month. We will miss Hart and Soul and want to thank them for opening their doors to us and all of the many kids in Homewood.”

Hartley has requested that anyone interested in purchasing Hart and Soul contact her at teresa@sohosweets.com.