A new mobile coffee shop, Bouncing Bean Coffee, will seek to serve the Lynchburg community in a unique way. The Bouncing Bean is not just any coffee shop. Once a month, it will do business a little differently than usual. Owner Andrew Robinson said once a month, the Bouncing Bean will go downtown and let customers get coffee without having to pay. Robinson said during the rest of the month, he hopes to love Lynchburg by showing the same love to people whether or not they can pay.
If so, they will receive a sticky note in the shape of a coffee, sandwich or other meal item. The sticky notes will go on a wall near the counter. When a customer who cannot afford an item visits the coffee shop, he or she can subtly use one of the sticky notes to pay for their order. The Bouncing Bean will at first sell coffee, espresso and smoothies. But Robinson hopes to add baked goods and breakfast foods, once he finds a place to bake. While the Bouncing Bean is not yet open, Robinson is building the shop in a Arrow camper trailer.
He said one of the hardest challenges so far has been squeezing the health code requirements into the 6-by space. As the trailer will be self-sufficient, Robinson has also had to build the electrical system from scratch to hook into a generator. During his time working on the trailer, Robinson has also continued his full-time job as a manager at Panera Bread.
Despite the challenges, Robinson said the process has been rewarding. Robinson, a Lynchburg native, had not originally planned to open a coffee trailer. Growing up, he wanted to eventually become a contractor.
He hoped to marry and someday build a house. I loved the atmosphere and mission, but more than that, I loved the people, both employees and customers. Although Robinson had attended church his entire life and been involved in different ministries, he explained that working at Panera opened more doors to reach people than ever before in his life. However, Robinson explained he does not currently have the funds.
