BY DAN HILDEBRAN
A Union County woman said her long-held dream of bringing something unique to Lake Butler is coming to fruition, as she is adding a coffee shop to her year-old meeting venue.
Jennifer Thomas’s Gather held a first-anniversary celebration on Saturday, September 21.
The building next to Dollar General on East Main Street has hosted Zumba, Yoga, art, and other classes over the last 12 months. Now Thomas is adding lattes and cappuccinos to the mix with a coffee shop.
“We have the Cadillac of espresso machines here,” she said, “and we do everything from drip coffee to lattes to frozen. We call them fuelers. It’s kind of a version of a frappe.”
Thomas said the menu includes baked goods, everything from muffins to cookies. Chicken salad, egg salad, and sandwiches are also available.
Thomas said she grew up in Lake Butler and moved to Texas for a while before returning to Union County.
Gather is an outgrowth of her 20 years in healthcare, including time at Lake Butler Hospital.
“I saw gaps in our modern healthcare system,” she said. “It’s amazing for many things, but we also have to take responsibility and make changes in our lives. So, I wanted to create a fun place to do that together.”
Thomas said the Yoga and Zumba classes support her vision of responsible and healthy living. The building also has a massage therapy room.
“I hope to bring in things like acupuncture and more or less traditional type of modern medicine where it’s more about taking responsibility and then some of these alternative medicines that can really supplement the modern healthcare,” she said. “But right now, we’re going to be doing some meditation classes and all of that because life is so stressful, and I really want this place to be, when you walk in here, it’s kind of a respite from the craziness of the world.”
She said the coffee shop fits in with her health focus because it provides a place to meet with friends, read a book, and relax.
“I think there’s so much in this world that takes from us,” she said. “I want to create a space that really kind of gives back and can help fill us back up when life kind of sucks all of that out of us.”
Union County Animal Control showed off dogs that were available for adoption during the year’s anniversary.
Bridgett Sullivan and Morgan Hodges kept the canines watered and cool while potential parents passed by on the sidewalk.
Sullivan said the county’s shelter can hold up to 13 animals.
“We mainly work on donations with food,” she said. “We have a very small budget. We try to get the dogs on our Facebook page for rescues or adoptions.”
