Bringing Coffee and Fellowship to Bluefield
Photos provided by Rampage student photographer Rachel Hendrick.
Standing in a small kitchen surrounded by flavored syrups and stainless-steel appliances, Diane Clinton pours steaming water through a filter full of fragrant coffee grounds. Dark liquid drips steadily into the hourglass-shaped beaker below. For the past several weeks, Diane has been practicing making lattes, cappuccinos, frappes, teas, and other drinks.
“I’m making them so I can get used to it,” Diane says. “I’m still gonna be terrified (when we open), but at least I want to know what I’m doing.”
In just a few weeks, Diane and her husband, Tim, will begin serving customers at their new coffee shop, The Gathering Place Café. Alongside coffee and other drinks, they will offer pastries, cake pops, and other sweet treats. Breakfast will be served all day, with lunch sandwiches available after 11 a.m.
“We’ll do chicken salad sandwiches, hot dogs, ham and cheese sandwiches, stuff like that with chips and regular soft drinks,” Diane says.
Although opening a coffee shop was not originally her idea, the more she “prayed about it, the more it’s actually worked out. It’s a God thing.”
The grand opening is scheduled for Feb. 23. Diane is both nervous and excited. Describing herself as “YouTube-taught,” Diane admits she has never been a barista before.
“That’s why I practiced so hard on doing these drinks,” Diane says. “I’ve given away so many drinks, but that’s because I need feedback. I need you to tell me if they’re good. I need you to tell me what’s wrong.”
Diane’s drinks feature playful names such as Oh, Snap and Minty Mocha Madness. Although the flavors may resemble Starbucks, Diane emphasizes that The Gathering Place is a local hometown coffee shop.
“That’s why I changed all of our names on the coffee, because I don’t want you to come in thinking this is exactly going to be like Starbucks. Because it ain’t Starbucks,” Diane says.
Inside the coffee shop, photos of the two Bluefields hang on the walls. Large chunks of coal sit atop an electric fireplace, and a small shelf features local products from the Sanguine Lark Apothecary.
Just outside the coffee shop stands a monument that inspired The Gathering Place’s name. According to Diane, many years ago a group of ladies set up benches and created an area for people to gather together. That is Diane’s goal for The Gathering Place.
“We want people to come in here, sit down, slow down, and just meet somebody you didn’t know,” she says.
Tim and Diane Clinton share a laugh over coffee.
When the Clintons moved to Bluefield four years ago, the area’s natural beauty and the kindness of everyone she met astonished her.
“Ever since we’ve been here, it’s felt like home,” Diane says. “Before I moved here, I thought coal was a thing of the past. I truly did. And I have found out that it is not.”
The first time she spotted a coal train, Diane paused on the roadside and watched it pass. She felt as though she was living in a fairytale. Although she and her husband have owned businesses before, Diane says opening this coffee shop has been the most exciting because they want to bring themselves into Bluefield, not take Bluefield out.
“I want people to see their hometown inside this coffee shop,” Diane says.
The Gathering Place is a means of serving the community and providing a space for fellowship. Diane plans to offer a weekly night for college students and a monthly craft night. The coffee shop will also be available to rent for birthday parties, wedding showers, business meetings, or other special events.
Rachel Hendrick, a senior at Bluefield University, is excited about The Gathering Place. She says the Clintons are “kind and compassionate people” who want to show Christ’s love to other people.
Two ladies from Diane’s Bible study group enjoy fellowship at The Gathering Place.
Back at The Gathering Place, Diane invites people who have questions about Jesus to come ask, and she has placed a box near the back door for anonymous prayer requests.
“I want everything about this to be God,” Diane says. “Because he’s the reason that we’re doing this. It gives us a chance to witness to people.”
Graphic courtesy of Tim and Diane Clinton.