Neighborhood Business Highlight: Heartbreak Coffee
Sisk Avenue location and “Creamy” the VW Bus
From roasting and sharing cups of coffee in her backyard to serving coffee out of her VW bus named “Creamy” to a storefront in Water Valley and now Oxford, this coffee roaster extraordinaire, Gretchen Williams, loves sharing the roasting process and making lasting relationships with people (and their dogs) every day!
Gretchen started roasting her coffee in 2013 in Long Beach, CA. She loved the process and inviting friends over to “test” and share in the experience in her backyard. She moved back to Mississippi in 2016 and was able to sell her coffee at local farmers markets and pop-ups in her VW bus, “Creamy.” In 2017, she was able to open her first storefront in Water Valley, but eventually moved that space next to her friends’ restaurant, Tarasque, in Oxford. That same year, as her business continued to grow, she began roasting for Uptown Coffee on the Oxford Square. She became part owner of Uptown in 2019 and, in 2021, she became the sole owner and opened Heartbreak’s second location on Sisk Avenue in the Oxford Commons.
We recently chatted with Morgan Pennington, manager at the Sisk Avenue location who has been working on and off at the coffee shop (Highpointe, Uptown, now Heartbreak) for over 12 years. Morgan shares, “We are the only coffee shop you can come into where you can drink your coffee and watch how that coffee was made!” When asked what she loves about their location, Morgan shared, “Both are polar opposites. The Oxford Square location is great because of the hustle and bustle and so many regulars. It is in the heart and center of the city. The Sisk location is more relaxed and allows you to take your time with a nice cup of coffee. And, you get the added benefit of watching the roasting process while drinking your coffee.”
Heartbreak Coffee has a nice menu of offerings. Their best sellers are the Onyx hot latte and the Honey Lavender hot latte. The Chai Latte in the winter is popular, while the Macha green tea is the favorite in the summer months. Aside from coffee and other drinks, the scones and vegetarian sausage biscuits are big sellers. Heartbreak is the only place you can get a gluten-free donut in town, and they can even do gluten free cakes, pastries and vegan options for catering.
We ask our Neighborhood businesses how the Oxford and Lafayette county real estate market affects them. Morgan shared, “The Sisk Avenue area continues to grow, and we expect the customer base to also grow. The surrounding neighborhoods and businesses are growing quickly. The downtown location benefits from all the events that happen in Oxford – SEC football, Double Decker, etc.”
We are grateful to Gretchen and her fabulous team at Heartbreak Coffee for providing our daily dose of caffeine and a friendly chat. Heartbreak Coffee is located at 265 North Lamar Blvd, G on the Oxford Square and is open Monday-Sunday 7 AM – 7 PM. Its second location in the Oxford Commons, 900 Sisk Avenue, E, is open Monday-Friday 7 AM – 2:30 PM and Saturday-Sunday 8 AM – 5 PM and has a convenient drive-thru. Follow them on social media (heartbreakcoffee).
Neighborhoods close by: (Sisk Location) Oxford Commons, Ridgewood Manor Estates, Bramlett Gardens, Avent Acres (Square location) 1200 Jefferson, Jefferson Park, Ammadelle, Bienville Place, Oxford Manor Condos
