Old Town Coffee Company co-owner, Ginger Donahoo prepares a coffee for a customer at the recently opened business in Downtown Hartselle. Donahoo’s husband Trace also operates the business with her and they have made their home in Hartselle as well. | Charley Gaines

Charley Gaines

Hartselle Enquirer

There is hope for Downtown Hartselle as another business actually opens on the increasingly vacant Main St. row.

Old Town Coffee Co. opened its doors for the first time Tues., Aug. 16, at 7:30 a.m. for city residents to come sit down, have a cup of coffee or tea and get to know fellow Hartsellians.

Ginger and Trace Donahoo own the new store located at 127 Main St. W. The two repurposed the old Rustic Nail and transformed it into a cozy “watering hole” where patron can come sit in a family-friendly environment.

“There’s not really a place in Downtown Hartselle to just sit down, meet a friend and talk,” said Ginger Donahoo. She and her husband Trace own Old Town Coffee Co. and were hustling and bustling around the coffee shop serving customers at 9 a.m. She is originally from Tennessee and Trace is originally from Florence, but after living in England for five years, the two brought their family to Hartselle. The daring duo has been married for 17 years. The Donahoo younger members of the Donahoo clan consist of a 14-year-old boy who is a freshman at Hartselle High School, an 11-year-old girl at the intermediate school and a 4-year-old boy who is now in Pre-K at Burleson. Ginger said she and her husband felt the need to fill the sort of void on Main St.

The family moved to England as a mission for the Presbyterian Church in America. Ginger said the idea for Old Town Coffee Co. was rooted in an idea from the church the planted in the village where they lived. She said the church started a coffee shop to serve the village across the pond, too.

“We loved how we could get into the community and meet people we shouldn’t have met otherwise,” she said enthusiastically. “We really got to see the community life, and that’s what we want. We want Downtown to thrive and to see the community down here again.”

The shriveling vibe Downtown is one of the main issues on everyone’s mind. Candidates at the political forum August 4 hit the subject hard when asked how to better Hartselle. Even before the questions started, the candidates running for municipal office brought up the subject. As the voice of Hartselle, one can only assume the residents feel the same way as they drive down a Main St. that, aside from the pavement, looks like a deserted town out of a Western movie as businesses continue shutting their doors.

“Anything that goes in downtown is good because it’s so empty over there,” said Hartselle City Council Chairman Kenny Thompson. “We can barely get anyone to go down there right now, but businesses going in down there can only be a good thing because we want to fill up downtown again.”

Old Town Coffee Co. sits in the same block as Cahoots and right across the street from (BumbleBee Gifts and Antiques). The large space that Rustic Nails used to occupy is now filled with tables of various heights where people can either come in groups or tuck away in a corner for more one-on-one conversations. The Donahoo’s kept the brick walls that were in Rustic Nail and they have a wooden counter with light food toward the back of the shop. There’s a stage area as well that will be used by the church that will have services there Sunday nights.

“We want to have live music here on the weekends and be able to have a ministry here,” Ginger elaborated. “It’s also fun because when you come to a small town like Hartselle where people grew up, it’s hard for a new person to kind of get in the community. We want them to have a place to come so they can get to know people and feel comfortable.”

Mayor Bill Smelser said he had just come back from Old Town Coffee around 2 p.m. Tuesday.

“That type of environment is good in Downtown, and I hope and pray it does well in there because they put so much into it,” he said. “They have a great ministry over there.”

On opening day, Old Town Coffee Co. was at the top of the “Hartselle, Alabama”  search-list. While they don’t have a Twitter handle, the Donahoo’s coffee shop does have a Facebook page with information and pictures.

Ginger said everyone in their town in England walked everywhere all the time and got to know each other well that way. Hartselle’s alternative is right in its heart where residents and visitors can come get a, in my opinion, really good cup of coffee, tea or some tasty treats. It’s a place to come together, resident or visitor, to sit and chill as the shop gives Hartselle the opportunity to come together. Right now, Downtown begs for a fresh breath of air like Old Town Coffee, and the Donahoos are lending a hand to bring it back to life.