Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ted Blair. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ted, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

The word “vive” is a Latin-based word that means life. The VIVE is to be a life-giving place to the community through cultural events, concerts, weddings, special events, and a daily operating coffee shop.

The VIVE coffee is managed by Livingway church in Garland. It is our desire that the Vive be a ministry tool for life change and hope. Our heart is to provide a place that is open every day for anyone to find rest, a workspace, friendship, a place to study, and hope. Income from the Vive after expenses will goes to continued ministry and outreach in our community. All our drinks are donation based with only a suggested price. That means that the patrons pay what they think is appropriate. We trust that people will be generous. This is particularly unique to all the other coffees paces nearby.

We serve Hope Coffee which is a fare-trade mission-based coffee company that serves villages in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and parts of Africa. We are serious about having great coffee drinks and great service, but our real passion is to be a place of life for our community.

For more information concerning the VIVE or Livingway Church please contact Ted Blair check out our website at www.livingwaychurch.cc

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

In 2009 we felt as a church, led to open a local “well.” That is to say, a place where people would come meet, work, and enjoy each other. A place that would be open throughout the week. A coffee shop fits that perfectly. For the next 10 years we prayed, trusted God, and waiting for the right time. It was not until the fall of 2019 that we saw it come to life. We opened the coffee shop and a few months later COVID hit. Over the course of the next year and a half we opened and closed as the pandemic numbers increased and decreased. We survived and are excited to serve our community and to be a light to our neighborhood.

We offer a variety of iced and hot artisan coffee drink, as well as teas, and sodas. We are always expanding the menu and coming up with new recipes. Our baristas are friendly and well trained. We are particularly proud of our environment. it is a perfect place for work, study, or friends.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

We planned and prepared for 10 years for the Vive coffee to open. In 2017 Livingway Church leased out the back end of an unused warehouse, we renovated the entire space from the ground up. Two years later we did more renovation and opened the Vive Coffee in the fall of 2019, but little did we know that just a few months later, a global pandemic would shut everything down. After a brief time of being closed, we attempted to open back up during COVID. Occasionally we had to open and close due to mandatory requirements and sickness. We witnessed a lot of businesses around us closing throughout the pandemic. Never to open again. But we sacrificed and pressed through, and we are still here thriving and excited to serve the community.

Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?

As a coffee shop that is also a ministry, meeting salary and overhead costs is probably one of the more difficult aspects of our operation. We are a donation-based coffee shop which means every person will pay either the suggested amount or whatever they feel impressed to give. We do this on purpose as a ministry to serve the community. We give a lot of drinks away and we hope that people who pay the full amount know that they are important part of making a difference in the community and around the world through Hope Coffee. There have been times when we barely made payroll, but as an outreach ministry of Livingway church is the primary support. We hope that one day the Vive Coffee shop can be self-supporting and a vehicle for more outreach. Until then, we will continue to offer life to the community and world and trust God that our needs will be met.    

Contact Info:

• Website: http://thevivecoffee.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevivecoffee/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thevivecoffee/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-vive-coffee-garland

Image Credits
All photographs were taken by us.