Opening a second Mill Town Coffee Co. in White Hall was a no-brainer for Scottie and Lacey Murray. Their newest coffee shop will make its debut in less than two weeks.
“We always said, ‘If we’re going to open another location, it would be in White Hall,'” said Lacey Murray.
While The Hive Cafe and Candy Shoppe on Dollarway Road was a longtime local favorite, and its closing, like Zara Coffee’s, was a loss to the locals, the Murrays decided it was time to set up shop in Jefferson County.
Their White Hall Mill Town location, 7003 Dollarway Road, suite 2 (Old Sam’s), is currently under construction and tentatively slated to open bright and early Monday, Jan. 13. Mill Town will be open for breakfast and lunch, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Because of construction-related delays, Murray said, “The drive-thru window may be delayed, but the front of the house will be open.”
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The Murrays also own the Mill Town Coffee Co. and the Sugar Sugar Bake Shop, 1208 N. Rock St. in Sheridan.
Michelle Arias, on Facebook, wrote, “I finally tried Milltown for breakfast today (bacon, egg, and cheese croissant) and OMG! Absolutely the BEST breakfast sandwich in Sheridan.”
Murray said about their new location, “We’re really looking forward to serving the community.”
Why Mill Town?
“Sheridan’s huge industry is timber, and it used to be referred to as a mill town,” Murray said.
Also, there was the Mill Town Cafe, a hot dining spot in the 1950s and 1960s.
“We wanted a name that was meaningful to the area, and it (Mill Town) worked,” Murray said.
The couple call Grapevine home, which is located about equal distances between Sheridan and White Hall.
FAST AND HOT
Like their Sheridan location, they will serve breakfast and lunch only in White Hall.
Their signature soups and salads are prepared on-site, while their fresh breads and pastries are baked at Sugar Sugar.
Breakfast includes cinnamon rolls, banana nut and blueberry muffins, asiago cheddar bagels, build-your-own breakfast sandwiches and more.
Of course, they offer a wide variety of coffee options, from basic black to gourmet, and they source their beans locally from Guillermo’s Gourmet Coffee of Little Rock.
The Mill Town Club is popular with the lunch crowd, but the menu also includes Southern favorites (mostly forgotten except in small-town Arkansas) like fried bologna and pimiento cheese sandwiches. Of course, they put their own twist on a BLT by adding avocado, and they offer a Reuben or a Rachel.
These are served on their signature Sugar Sugar bread, and Murray added, “We slice our own deli meat.”
Claire Gibbs, a Sheridan customer, said, “The best sandwiches on earth.”
There are handcrafted salads and homemade soups, which include Scottie Murray’s homemade chicken and dumpling soup.
“It’s my husband’s specialty, and we can sell 40 bowls within 20 minutes. He really does a great job, and it’s our most popular soup,” Murray said.
However, Chicken and Dumpling Day is not an everyday offering.
They also offer grab-and-go casseroles.
Tyler Bakke said, “Incredible service, staff, speed, and much more.” Murray said, “We focus on offering good, fresh food served fast.”
WHITE HALL FOLLOWING
White Hall is growing quickly, Murray said about one of the reasons for opening in the small town.
But they have another reason for locating there. Their Sheridan Mill Town eatery already has a sizable White Hall following.
“We have a large number of customers who drive from White Hall to Sheridan to get a sandwich and coffee,” Murray said.
That’s a 20-minute drive, one-way.
Once the White Hall location is up and running, the Murrays’ staff will nearly double. Currently, they employ about 13 at their Sheridan bakery and coffee shop and expect to employ about 15 in White Hall.
Scottie and Lacey Murray own Sugar Sugar Bake Shop and the Mill Town Coffee Co., and are opening a new coffee shop location in White Hall. (Special to The Commercial/Deborah Horn)