A Coffee Shop with a Purpose

For Amy and Gareth Whitehurst, opening a coffee shop was never just about serving a good cup of coffee. Their vision was to create a place where people could gather, meet friends, hold a business meeting or simply spend time away from home and work.

The Whitehursts opened their Just Love Coffee Cafe franchise in May, bringing that vision to life with a space designed to feel less like a traditional coffee shop and more like a living room.

The concept is often described as a “third place.”

“It's the third place because you spend a lot of time, one, at home, and two, at work,” he said. “The third place is where you go to when you don't want to be at home, you don't want to be at work, you just meet some friends for a cup of coffee and maybe a meal.”

That idea was central to what Gareth said Amy envisioned when the couple began considering the business.

That philosophy is reflected in the cafe’s design. One area, which they call the family room or living room, has an electric fireplace, a brick-and-stone wall, television, coffee table and comfortable chairs and couches.

The concept appears to be working. After only four months in business, the cafe was voted Best Breakfast Restaurant and Best Brunch.

While those might be the awards they earned, Just Love is more than just a morning coffee and breakfast stop, Amy said.

“We serve breakfast all day,” she said. “Along with lunch and light dinner options, and desserts. We want the cafe to remain a place where people can gather later in the day for meetings, studying, and catching up with friends.”

Waffles Beyond Breakfast

The cafe’s food menu offers another way Just Love sets itself apart.

Waffle makers are at the heart of the kitchen. The cafe serves traditional waffles, including gluten-free options, but also uses the waffle irons to prepare items like grilled cheese sandwiches and quesadillas.

The concept originated with Just Love's founders, who wanted a distinctive menu without the expense of conventional restaurant equipment.

There are no fryers or large griddles requiring commercial ventilation hoods. Instead, the simpler kitchen operation allows the cafe to focus on its specialty coffee while offering a food menu designed to complement the coffee.

For the Whitehursts, that combination of simplicity and uniqueness was appealing.

Why Just Love?

The couple considered opening an independent coffee shop before deciding a franchise would be a better fit for their first small-business venture.

“We thought about going our own route — we wouldn’t have to pay the franchise fees, royalties and whatnot,” Gareth said. “But this is our first time owning a small business, we wanted what I call ‘A Business in a Box.’”

Rather than starting from scratch, they could rely on an established menu, equipment recommendations, infrastructure, and support from the company's home office.

But Just Love was about more than convenience.

The Whitehursts were drawn to the company's core values, “Be genuine, be excellent, be a catalyst for love,” as well as its philanthropic efforts. The company offers “cause coffees,” with beans associated with charitable organizations.

Just as important was the franchise's flexibility.

“A lot of franchises — they want you to be very cookie cutter,” he said. “Every shop needs to look the same, feel the same. We aren't like that. We like to be a little different. We want to do things a little unique.”

That flexibility allows them to offer services outside of a normal cafe visit, Amy said.

“We're developing more catering options for bridal and baby showers, meetings and other gatherings,” she said. “And we're working toward coffee service for offices and delivery options for schools.”

The cafe is a family-run operation. Amy and Gareth work alongside their son, daughter, and their children's girlfriends. Amy's best friend is the manager, her mother handles the grocery shopping, and her sister works in the kitchen.

“When we say ‘family-run’ we really mean it,” Amy said.

Giving Back

Community involvement is another part of the Whitehursts’ vision.

The cafe makes its dining room available after hours for events without charging a rental fee when the space is available.

Groups can also sell five-visit punch cards, with a large portion of the proceeds going back to organizations such as school bands and churches.

The cafe also participates in community fundraising efforts. One recent example was the Coastal YMCA's Tee Up for Tots golf tournament. They have also supported Court Appointed Special Advocates and Folds of Honor.

“Our goal is to become a resource for different groups throughout Effingham County,” Amy said.

For them, those efforts are simply part of being a community business.

“Wherever we can, we’re going to help make the community better,” Gareth said.

Coffee With a Story Behind It

Of course, the heart of any coffee shop is the coffee.

Just Love's beans are small-batch roasted in Nashville, Tennessee. Gareth said the company's roast master is highly particular about the roasting process and where the beans originate.

“They are meticulous about the coffee we serve,” Amy said. “They obsess over each coffee brought in and how each one is small-batch roasted to bring out the best natural flavors in the cup. Just Love has also been a three-time finalist for Roast Magazine's Roaster of the Year.”

But coffee and food are only part of what they believe has contributed to the cafe's early success.

“We’re trying to provide that five-star service,” he said, along with quality products and a space where people want to stay.

A Place for the Dogs, Too

There is one more group they want to feel at home: dogs.

Amy is a devoted dog lover. So, creating a pet-friendly space was in the plan from the beginning. The cafe has a 400-square-foot front patio where customers can bring their furry friends. Water bowls are available, and four-legged visitors receive a whipped cream and bacon pup cup.

Home Is Where They Landed

The cafe is the latest chapter in a much longer journey for the couple.

Both grew up in Florida, where they met in high school French class and began dating in 1991. They married in 1997, moved to California and later Seattle, where Gareth began his aviation career. In 2010, they relocated to Effingham County.

Along the way, they bought homes in several cities, but something about their current home felt different.

“The house we have now was the first house that we thought together, ‘We could retire here,’” he said. “For the first time, we could envision ourselves settling down.”

The coffee shop is another expression of that feeling, putting down roots and creating something that belongs not only to the people who own it, but to the community around them.

“We really want people to understand that we’re more than really good coffee,” Amy said. “We want to be a community space that happens to serve coffee and food.”

For Gareth and Amy, Just Love is a business. But it is also the kind of place people return to because they feel they belong there.

A place for coffee. A place for food. A place for dogs. And, above all, a place to gather. ■