When Lisa Tubbs moved to Putnam County in 2019, she never imagined she’d become the owner of a bustling new coffee shop.
“Absolutely not. This was not on my bucket list, but here we are,” she said last Wednesday morning prior to a ribbon-cutting ceremony arranged by the Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of Commerce.
Tubbs officially opened Compassion Café Aug. 20, and said its inspiration grew out of personal health struggles and a desire to bring people together. After battling long COVID and facing other health challenges, she said she found healing through IV therapy that previously led to her opening Ivy Wellness Solutions in the same strip of storefronts just a couple of doors away from Compassion Café.
From the start, Tubbs said the outpouring of community support has been encouraging, but humbling.
“It’s unbelievable, I feel overwhelmingly blessed beyond measure,” she said, gesturing toward the sizable crowd gathered for her ribbon-cutting. “People want a place to gather. They want clean coffee; they feel better when they have clean coffee; and they want to spend time together.”
That’s why Tubbs designed her Compassion Café to be more than just a spot to grab a quick latte. She built it as a hub for intimate conversation, quiet study groups, casual business meetings, and even added a small, semi-private side space for quiet reflection and contemplation.
“We call this our prayer room,” Tubbs explained of a cozy, semi-closed-off space about the size of a walk-in closet.
On the wall facing a simple, two-person bench is a 4-foot-tall cross built from planks salvaged by her husband, Steve, a Delta Air Lines captain.
Unlike many coffee shops, Compassion Café does not serve food, Tubbs said, but she believes that could contribute to its charm.
“If someone wants to bring lunch in, they’re absolutely welcome here,” she stressed. “We built a laptop bar, we have comfortable couches, and in the middle area, there are even tables for classes. We want people to use the space and for it to be a place where they can spend the whole day if needed.”
Tubbs says she has drawn inspiration and friendship from other local coffee shop owners, including Sylvia’s in Eatonton and PJ’s in Greensboro.
“I want people to go to their places, too, and they want people to come here. We all want to work together, and I think that’s so beautiful,” she said. “You don’t always get that in every community.”
Tubbs said her café’s name was inspired by a Compassion International presentation she attended earlier this year.
“I looked at the speaker and thought, That’s it, Compassion Coffee,” she recalled, later evolving it into Compassion Café. “We give glory to God here, and our motto is Deuteronomy 28:6: ‘You will be blessed when you come in and you’ll be blessed when you go out.”
Compassion Café, located at 646 Old Phoenix Rd., Eatonton, is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. The café is closed on Sundays and Mondays.