BRU63 @ RUSSELL CROSSROADS

(Left to right) Jakethia Edwards, Sarah Brown, Rachael Woodard and Stanton Miller (not pictured) are the baristas at BRU 63

Window-height tables, stickers and a variety of drink options help to create an energetic vibe at the new coffee shop

Manager Emily Brown assists customers at BRU 63

STORY & PHOTOS BY BETSY ILER

BRU 63 is now open at Catherine’s Market in Russell Crossroads. The cozy new coffee shop with an energetic vibe is focused on coffee, community and connection, said Emily Brown, who manages the popular destination.

“It’s a place that’s designed for people to hang out and reconnect,” Brown said.

We created a space that reflects the coffee shop’s mission – coffee, community, connection – by emphasizing the views and natural light in an existing dining space that could not be used during the COVID-19 mandated closures.

“We knew there was a need for this at the lake, but there was no avenue for it in Catherine’s Market until the pandemic hit,” Brown explained. “The dining room at Catherine’s sat empty for a year. Since we couldn’t have it open, it was the perfect time to revisit how the space could accommodate the needs at the lake.” Brown traveled to coffee shows across the Eeast Ccoast to gather ideas and learn the ropes of running a successful local coffee shop. After several shows, long nights of brainstorming, calls and emails with contacts, BRU 63 was ready to open its doors. She envisions BRU 63 to be a place where community and connection isare prioritized., where every customer feels like a regular when they walk in.

Over the winter, one-third of the indoor café dining area on Benson Mill Road was converted into a state-of-theart coffee bar featuring specialty blends from Nonfiction Coffee. Additional roofing was installed to offer more covered patio space, and the interior dining room at the café was transformed to delight coffee lovers young and old.

“Nonfiction Coffee had already developed a signature coffee blend for Catherine’s, so we partnered with them to research and create signature options for BRU 63,” Brown said. “BRU’s Blend is a Guatemalan and Ethiopian blend. Our Espresso is a Honduran and Brazilian blend, and our cold brew is a Honduran and Guatemalan blend. All of our

Bblends are designed with summer at the lake and customer preferences in mind. “Alex Sherman at Nonfiction Coffee is great. We call him our coffee professor, and he’s committed to teaching and training us in all things coffee.” Also available are BRU’s traditional hot and cold drinks, from hot chocolate to iced coffees, fraps, Art of Tea products and Lotus Energy specialty Revivers. To complement the beverages, BRU 63 also offers whole food bars by Earnest Eats and breakfast items from the Catherine’s Market bakery, including quiche, scones, muffin tops and a breakfast potpie of house-made sausage and gravy. Russell Lands unveiled this new connection over Memorial Day weekend, following six months of construction. The design includes elevated gathering tables along the windows to make the most of the picturesque landscape views at Russell Crossroads. Standard tables also are available in the center space of the room. Woods anchor the clean, modern lines and add warmth to BRU 63’s standing invitation to settle in and stay for a while. The internet connection is amazing, Brown said, and reviews have been positive on all fronts. In addition to packaged coffee blends to brew at home on the lake, BRU 63 also offers Fifty/Fifty tumblers, ball hats, stickers, coffee blends and customized journals. Gift cards can be purchased in any amount as well. “We also have loyalty cards. With the purchase of their sixth drink, customers get a discount on merchandise, and their 10th drink is on the house,” Brown said. BRU 63 opens at 7 a.m. six days a week – one hour earlier than Catherine’s Market. The coffee shop closes at 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays; 8 p.m. on Fridays to accommodate Friday on the Green guests; 6 p.m. on Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. The shop is closed on Mondays.