Fair Grove coffee shop changes ownership

A coffee shop open for just over four years in Fair Grove’s historic town center has changed ownership.

Carolyn Mellon said her ownership of Monroe Coffee Co. LLC at 71 S. Main St. began July 17 after she closed on the sale of the business from founding owners Anna Sutherland, Anna’s husband Taler Sutherland and Anna’s sister, Megan Biggs. Terms of the acquisition were undisclosed.

“I was going through a lot of big lifestyle changes,” Mellon said of her decision to acquire the business. “I was entering single parenthood, so it was really a balance-of-life adjustment.”

Mellon said she wanted to pursue an opportunity that would be something her kids could be a part of and that would build community in Fair Grove.

“It’s just something that I love,” she said. “I love serving people, being able to make their coffee, get to know them, get to know their hearts and just really be invested in that one-to-one community connection.”

Mellon says the Sutherlands and Biggs retain ownership of the building where Monroe Coffee Co. and two other adjacent small businesses are located.

The Sutherlands and Biggs organized the company on Jan. 19, 2021, according to Missouri Secretary of State records, and the shop held its grand opening in September of that year in time for the annual Fair Grove Heritage Reunion festival, Mellon said.

In a farewell Facebook posting made by the previous owners July 17, the Sutherlands and Biggs said, “This isn’t goodbye,” and noted they’d remain members of the Fair Grove Chamber of Commerce.

Mellon said since her ownership began in July, she consolidated Monroe House Boutique, a related business previously housed in an adjacent storefront, into the main coffee shop space. The boutique now sells clothing, jewelry, seasonal home decor, local tallow skincare products and other items.

She also freshened her coffee menu, adding traditional cappuccino and cortado drinks “for coffee enthusiasts” and maintaining a lineup of iced and hot lattes. The shop also offers drip coffee, cold brew, lemonade and iced and hot tea, according to its website.

Baked goods are another specialty of Monroe Coffee Co., comprising cookies, cupcakes, muffins and especially scones. Lemon-blueberry scones are a specialty of the shop, which also offers seasonal-flavored scones.

Mellon said Monroe Coffee Co.’s weekly Wednesday lunch specials, featuring items like chicken quesadillas, BLTs and Cuban sandwiches, are popular with nearby teachers and other town residents. The shop offers pickup and delivery for those items each week.

Mellon says next steps for her business include jumping into community involvement.

“I also want to focus on highlighting the history of Fair Grove and of the little building that we’re in because that history is so rich and beautiful,” she said.