MATHISTON — The smell of espresso wafting through the cold gray morning in Mathiston drew customers quickly Friday.
Snow was spitting but the flavor and the company outweighed the weather as friends gathered to sample the wares at the new Coffee Lair. Their reviews indicated that it was just what the doctor ordered.
Proprietor Aaron Mathews moved to Mathiston from Texas and grew up in California, where she worked at a Starbucks for three years. The Starbucks experience cemented her love for coffee and ultimately prompted her to open her own coffee shop.
She saw a need in Mathiston and with prompting from a friend who owned a coffee shop, she made the plunge. The little shop sits just off Highway 82 in the parking lot across from Dollar General in Mathiston. While the business is to-go-only now, she plans to add outdoor tables so that patrons can linger.
Current hours are 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday. Matthews hopes to be able to extend those hours as demand increases. Her co-workers are Erin Yates and Jeannie Surma, and she hopes to add high school students to work in the summer.
The menu offers coffee, espresso and frappe, as well as some signature drinks and oatmeal, bagels and muffins. A nod toward the school her children attend is evident in the signature drink The Wolverine, a white mocha with raspberry and whipped cream.
“We are excited to see new businesses move to Mathiston. Our goal is to eventually reach the point where our citizens don’t have to leave town for any essential goods or services,” said Alderman Lavelle McAlpin of Mathiston.
“With approximately 11,000 vehicles traveling eastward along Highway 82, and with a business-friendly environment, we feel that we are an excellent place to grow. We wish Aaron nothing but the best and we invite other entrepreneurs to try our town and grow with us,” McAlpin added.
