Dublin’ the amount of shops
Downtown Lynchburg welcomes a new Irish-themed coffeeshop that is paired with the Emerald-Stone Girlle located on Jefferson Street
OPENING SHOP — The Dublin 3 Coffee House and Emerald Stone Grille are located on Jefferson Street in Downtown Lynchburg and plans to open up April 22.
Photo Credit: Kirkland Gee
A Lynchburg-based husband-wife duo is working with several Liberty University students to bring quality coffee and a cozy atmosphere to downtown Lynchburg.
Dublin 3 Coffee House, an Irish-themed coffeehouse located at 1001 Jefferson Street, is paired with owner’s Keith and Adrienne Sweeney’s sister business, the Emerald Stone Grille, and is expected to open within the next couple of weeks. The Sweeneys said they love Ireland and have always wanted to start a restaurant.
“(Dublin 3) was kind of an afterthought,” Keith Sweeney said. “When we looked at (the space on Jefferson Street), it was too big for a restaurant alone. (Adrienne) loves coffee and thought we should do a coffeehouse. The ‘3’ (in the title) is for our three children.”
The coffeehouse neighbors Emerald Stone Grille, and the Sweeney’s began construction on both projects in June 2016. Both businesses share an Irish theme. However, Keith Sweeney said the restaurant features both Irish and general European food.
Once the couple decided to pair a coffeehouse with their restaurant, they sought insight from coffee lovers. The Sweeneys currently have a shop manager and lead barista to hire and train other coffee enthusiasts to man the espresso machine and work with customers.
“Half of the staff has a lot of experience, and the other half has no experience,” Devin Smith, lead barista and Liberty business student, said. “We wanted a blank slate.”
Keith Sweeney said the majority of the shop’s employees are Liberty students, but Smith added that the management wanted applicants with personality and a passion for coffee, not a Liberty education.
“It’s not about experience or the coffee,” Smith said. “It’s about customer service. I hope (Dublin 3) is a place where people come and hang out (because) it’s a great place to study, have a first date and is a comfortable environment you can just come and enjoy.”
The coffeehouse will offer traditional coffee drinks as well as specialty drinks. Smith said the shop wants to have outstanding coffee without being pretentious — to be a combination of quality and comfort.
Dublin 3 chose Mudhouse Coffee Roasters of Charlottesville, Virginia, winner of Roast Magazine’s roaster of the year competition, to provide coffee beans. In the future, the shop will source its coffee from a variety of small-batch roasters in the region and hopes to educate customers on different types of coffees and teas. Lynchburg’s Novella Tea Company teas will be available in addition to coffee drinks and pastries.
“We want to break that stigma of ‘coffee is coffee is coffee,’” Smith said. “Mudhouse is kind of the bread and butter. We really wanted to pull a bunch of coffee from the surrounding area and showcase different coffees.”
By offering different types of coffee and tea, Dublin 3 hopes to build a community of coffee and show the diversity of the beverage.
Coffee will be available not only by the cup, but also in packages for customers to purchase and support roasting companies.
The shop is not open yet, as much of the heavy machinery and furniture still needs to be delivered and assembled. However, Dublin 3 plans to have a soft opening in April and be in full-swing for Lynchstock Music Festival April 22.
SMITH is a news reporter.