Local coffee shops emerge from COVID-19 shutdown

TEXARKANA — Local coffee shops rode out the rough waters of the COVID19 shutdown, each in its own way. But, now, they are serving the public with a smile and a tasty beverage.

Some, like Brewsters on the Boulevard, never stopped, though they are continuing with the restrictions they took on going into the shutdown.

“Right now, we are sticking with our drive-through service,” Manager Chuck Taramona said. “We got it running pretty well during the shutdown, and our customers stuck with us throughout.”

Taramona says that until the restrictions relax a little more, they will stick with drive-through service.

“However, we are setting up outdoor seating, a nice little patio area in about two weeks,” she said.

Taramona and her skeleton crew during the shutdown kept the place running, but she is very relieved to have her full crew back.

“It got to the point where I was getting worn down and didn’t think we could go any further. It is great to have them back in the house,” she said.

Taramona said the community was fully supportive throughout the shutdown.

“Amazing support from them; simply tremendous. We are giving back a little bit with a promotion, free drink a day to all first responders, nurses and physicians until further notice,” she said. “We are just glad to be hanging out and enjoying the relaxed restrictions.”

At the other end of the road on Arkansas Boulevard, Urban Tea Town, previously shut down, has opened its doors once again.

“We got a PPE loan and good thing, too. Without it, we probably would have been done for,” she said. “It will cover our expenses for at least two months.”

Urban Tea Town is a new business, and the shutdown timing was hard on them, but they rearranged furniture and reorganized the kitchen with what they had learned from operating so far. They reopened April 24.

They are not opening their lounge area on May 10, when Arkansas businesses can open their inside areas up to 33 percent.

“Our interior space is small and that just doesn’t work well for us, so we will wait and provide our curbside service until restrictions are relaxed more,” she said.

They are also offering drink promotions during certain periods. For example, on Tuesday — Cinco de Mayo — they had a spiced Mexican Coffee special.

Staff photo by Junius Stone ■ Taste & See, a coffee shop and confectionary located at 2838 Richmond Road, Suite B, Texarkana, Texas, shut down during the weeks of the COVID-19-related shelter-in-place order. It is now up and running and serving the public.