Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON (WMAL) – For two years the owner of a gun shop in Hamilton, Virginia has been fighting to sell coffee, and Monday he may finally get approval to do it.
Zoning restrictions have prevented the owner of Bullets and Beans from selling coffee at his shop to people who are waiting for background checks or doing other business. Monday the Hamilton
Town Council is scheduled to take up a proposal that would allow Kevin Jones to sell coffee for a 6-month trial period.
Jones said selling coffee would be a benefit for his customers and the community. It would also add to the family-friendly atmosphere at his shop – which sells guns and also offers firearms
training – according to Jones.
“We didn’t want to just hand out Folgers to folks. We’ve got some great roasters down in Carolina that roast our beans for us, and the coffee’s great,” Jones said.
The council was going to vote on the proposal in September but decided to hold off so members would have more time to explore a number of concerns.
Some believe coffee sales could snarl up traffic in the area, but Jones said they only plan to sell coffee between 9 and 5, which are outside rush hour times.
Another concern the community has is the shop’s lack of parking, but Jones said a church next door allows people to park there when they’re not having services.
There are also concerns about delivery drivers parking trucks on the street and making it difficult for motorists to navigate around them. Deliveries won’t be an issue according to Jones. The woman who will run the coffee-selling operation for him said deliveries can be made during off-hours.
Despite the long approval process and potential issues, Jones remains optimistic and has already starting installing shelves for the coffee.
“At some point we’re gonna have coffee in here,” Jones said.
The Hamilton Town Council meets Monday night at 7.
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