Hart & Soul Coffee Company
Teresa Hartley opened her coffee shop, Hart & Soul, for the community, and she didn’t hold back in making sure no one felt left out.
There’s mochas and frappes of many varieties, croissants and pastries for breakfast, paninis and soups for lunch and dinner, cake pops and gelato for after school snacks, beer and wine for late night and live music on weekends.
To add to the mix, Hartley plans to open a wine bar in the right side of the store, which, for now, is extra seating and can be reserved for showers and birthday parties.
On any given day amidst the bold, colorful décor of the shop, you’ll find Edgewood residents picking up a quick breakfast, college students studying for hours at time, and Bible study groups and classes holding weekly meetings.
Sharon Albritton, a decades-long friend of Hartley who works at the coffee shop, is quick to talk about how its pimiento cheese is “to die for.” She said she can’t say what makes it so good, but it’s obvious that you can’t go wrong with cheddar and jalapeños, as the menu lists. Spread it on a panini with pepper jelly, and we agree: to die for.
Albritton’s favorite sandwich is the French Dip, and Hartley recommends the Turkey on Raisin Bread, which is filled with provolone, cream cheese and pepper jelly.
Other Paninis on the menu include the Prosciutto Bagel, Pesto Chicken and a Mushroom with caramelized onions and pepper jack cheese.
The Hart Salad and Soul Salad are tossed with house-made pear vinaigrette.
Daily soups, like everything on the menu, are homemade: Collard Greens with White Beans, Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, Tomato Bisque to name a few.
The options for ordering don’t stop there.
“If it’s not on our menu, we can put it together,” Albritton said.
For any time of day, there’s a selection of pastries and desserts: Nutella Croissants, Apple Danishes, Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce. Any of these tastes excellent when paired with Hart and Soul’s coffee, Carpe Diem from Spring Hill in Mobile.
One customer so favors Hart and Soul’s Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies and Peanut Butter Cookies Dipped in Chocolate that she orders four dozen cookies a month.
Hartley opened the Edgewood coffee shop just shy of two years ago after moving her SoHo Sweets from SoHo to the right side of the storefront, which she later converted into more coffee shop space.
Just like her shop, Hartley is Home-wood through and through. She grew up in Homewood and now lives up the street from the shops in Edgewood. She has watched three of her children graduate from Homewood schools, and her fourth, Anna, is a fifth grader at Edgewood Elementary.
“Teresa knows everyone,” Albritton said with emphasis.
And it’s everyone that she welcomes at Hart and Soul.