COFFEE and
so much more...
Blanco Brew
By BONNIE EISSLER
O
n March 15, 2020, Blanco Brew celebrated their one year anniversary and the very next day Texas shut down as concerns mounted due to the COVID 19 pandemic. In a year that has been devastating to many small business owners, Rachel Emry, owner of the coffee shop since 2019, says “we’ve actually done very well.” The unexpected crisis, that lingered on longer than anyone expected, motivated Rachel to adapt to the various changes and restrictions. She says, “I was determined to make myself essential as quickly as possible.” For six weeks, Blanco Brew operated as a grocery store, selling staples such as sugar, flour, butter, and eggs. “We even sold toilet paper and cleaning products,” Rachel says, essential items that were initially in short supply and rationed, as customers cleared the shelves at the major grocery stores in the area. Rachel and the highly efficient staff at Blanco Brew found other ways to get their delicious pastries and beverages to customers, including curbside pickup and delivery service. They bought more patio furniture and doubled their outside seating area, and expanded the lunch menu last summer to meet that growing demand. Rachel and her husband, Justice Quintana, moved to Wimberley in 2012, although they were already well acquainted with the many charms of the quaint little village on the Blanco long before they moved here. Justice had been visiting Wimberley since he was a kid and had always told Rachel that it reminded him of his home town of Ruidoso, a mountain resort village in New Mexico, with its small town friendliness, art galleries, cafes and shops. See BLANCO BREW, Page 16
14 Welcome to Wimberley Spring/Summer 2021
Rachel Emery
