Loving A New Space: Cafe Moves Into Former Speakertree Building

A new café has hit the streets of downtown Lynchburg. What was formerly Speakertree has been replaced by The Loving Co. café. 

Victoria, Taylor, Ashley and Ceana Loving officially opened the café in October 2021. Since its opening, they have hired two baristas, Briana Combs and Casie Owensby, who have taken on management responsibilities. 

“It’s a fantastic location. I mean, you’re right by the water,” Combs said.  “I can see the fountain from the windows. The whole place is just incredible.”

The Loving family acquired the space after Speakertree closed. Combs said that although it was sad to see Speakertree leave, many people have been curious about what took its place.

“Everyone is obviously pretty sad Speakertree is gone, but because everyone knows Speakertree is gone, everyone is like, ‘Well, let’s just see what Speakertree is now,’” she said.

When it comes to food and beverages, the café has a menu filled with different kinds of tea, coffee and food to choose from. Combs and Owensby are looking to develop the menu further to make freshly baked items.

“We also are looking to do more bakery type of foods, like brownies and cookies,” Combs said.

Combs discussed how The Loving Co. has been slow in development due to her and Owensby being full-time students at Liberty. With the new semester beginning they hope to advertise to the public more and create events that will appeal to college students. 

According to Combs, the owners want to host events, such as an art night and movie night, due to the amount of space the building has.   

“There is an event space, and the coffee shop itself has a lot of space, and it would be easy to hold smaller events in there,” Combs said.

Regarding décor, Combs and Owensby aim for a cozy feel for the Loving Co., from using mugs and cups in the café to creating comfortable seating for customers. They want customers to feel welcome to hang out in the café and are considering adding lounging furniture to fill the space. 

Combs is also excited about introducing a retail aspect where local small businesses can come and sell their own products in the café.

“We have a whole little section, and that’s going to be where small businesses can sell their stuff,” she said. “It’s $6 a month to rent out like a square foot of space, so you basically pay rent, and you get all the profits from your items.”

Combs wants customers to know about the retail possibilities of The Loving Co. She hopes they will not only stop in for coffee but also to purchase and sell in the café.

“The biggest thing is retail. That’s what I’m really excited about. I think that it could really pop off … cause everyone is into thrifting and sustainable clothing,” Combs said.

The Loving Co. is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

WOOLWINE is a feature reporter.