New Management at White Hart Café Initiates Focus on Community Outreach

The White Hart Café — a staple downtown Lynchburg gathering spot — changed ownership in late February, and the new management is working diligently to make the city of Lynchburg a better place.

“One of the things we talk about a lot is being Lynchburg’s living room,” Myke Barron, part of the new management team, said. “That’s a name that was given to us. We want to establish that.”

Barron said that although not a negative thing, he felt as though The White Hart Café had become more of Liberty’s living room than Lynchburg as a whole. He emphasized that while the café appreciates the students that frequent the establishment, the goal is to be inclusive to all demographics in the Lynchburg community.

“We did a community kitchen out of here when the pandemic first hit,” Barron said. “The place was shut down at the time, so just making those connections with different demographics really paid off in helping us accomplish our mission in truly becoming Lynchburg’s living room.”

BSM Management Group Inc. acquired The White Hart Café from its previous owner, Daniel Coco. Like many other small businesses, the coffee shop has faced challenges throughout the pandemic.

“[BSM Management Group Inc.] was already selling coffee to White Hart when the previous owner reached out to us and just needed some help with management,” Barron said. “Long story short, the best solution that we were able to come up with was to present a buyout. Then COVID hit.”

Barron said that BSM Management Group Inc. recognizes The White Hart Café as a pillar of the Lynchburg area, and they are looking forward to utilizing the café as a means to pour back into the community.

“It was on a trajectory to not survive, and that was before the pandemic,” Barron said. “So this was an opportunity for us to really transform this community by keeping this business going and utilizing it for outreach. So that’s our mentality.”

The café is well-known for its convenient downtown location and unique atmosphere. As one of the many favored Liberty University homework destinations, The White Hart Café is seldom without the chatter of both loyal and first-time customers.

“The first time I came to White Hart was when we dropped my sister off for her freshman year at Liberty,” Zach Gibbons said. “I visit her periodically because we’re pretty close. She’s brought me here several times and I love it.”

Gibbons said that he appreciates the southern hospitality aspect of The White Hart Cafe, something he said he had not experienced much of in his home state of Pennsylvania. He also added that he enjoys the upbeat mood of White Hart as opposed to the calming atmosphere of many other coffee shops.

“I love Virginia. I love Lynchburg, especially this place,” Gibbons said. “There are so many things to do and everyone is so nice. It gets harder to leave every time.” 

Addi Tarr is a News Reporter. Follow her on Twitter at @addi_tarr.