Vol. VII · Issue 03 Rustburg, Virginia
Est. MMXIX A coffee shop  ·  A roastery  ·  A quiet place Open today  ·  6:30 to 5
A Short Biography

The story of a small shop.

How Meridian came to be — and why, seven years in, we still show up at five in the morning to roast beans.

Fig. 01 — The original counter, 2019
Chapter One · Beginnings

From a rented
card table.

We opened Meridian in the spring of 2019 with a single espresso machine, a rented card table for pastries, and a handwritten menu taped to the door.

Jamie and Alex had spent a decade working in specialty coffee in Richmond before deciding that city life was not quite theirs. Rustburg had a courthouse square, a bakery that closed at two in the afternoon, and no coffee shop. That, they agreed, was enough of an opportunity.

They built the counter themselves over three long weekends. It is still the same counter.

Fig. 02 — Wednesday roast, small batch
Chapter Two · What Changed

Everything, and nothing.

Seven years later, we serve around three hundred cups on an average weekday.

We have added a small kitchen, a second espresso machine, and a team of six. What we have not added is hurry. The beans still come from the same three farms we started with. The pastries are still baked before sunrise. The wifi password is still not on the wall — though if you ask, we will give it to you.

We are still the only coffee shop in Rustburg. We still close before dinner. We still recognize most of our regulars by name, and know what they will order before they reach the counter.

What Guides Us

Four things,
every day.

Not a mission statement. Not a manifesto. Just four ideas we have returned to, every morning, for seven years.

I.

Sourcing

Beans from growers we have met. Ingredients from farms we can drive to. If we cannot explain where it came from, it is not on the menu.

II.

Craft

Every drink is pulled fresh. No pre-portioned syrups, no batch espresso. It takes two minutes longer, and it is worth every second of it.

III.

Space

The tables are for staying, not turning. The outlets are plentiful. Nobody will rush you out of your seat — though we do, it must be said, close at five.

IV.

People

Our team is paid a real wage, not a wage plus tips. We keep the same baristas for years, not months. It shows in the coffee, and it shows in the room.

The Masthead

The people
behind the bar.

The ones who are, somehow, always smiling at six-thirty in the morning — when nobody should reasonably be smiling.

Jamie Holloway

Co-founder · Head Roaster

Ten years in Richmond specialty coffee before coming home. Handles the roasting, the sourcing, and most of the hard decisions. Drinks her own espresso black.

Alex Mercer

Co-founder · Operations

Runs the front of house, the team, and the part of the books Jamie does not want to look at. Makes a very good cortado. Known for his exceptional latte art.

Dani Reyes

Lead Barista

Started as a weekend hire in 2021. Now leads training, runs the pour-over bar, and knows exactly how you take your coffee — often before you do.

"We are not trying to be the biggest coffee shop in Virginia. We are trying to be the best one in Rustburg. On most days, we think we are."

Jamie HollowayCo-founder, Head Roaster

Come say hello.

We're on Main Street, across from the courthouse. The first cup is on us, if it is your first time in.

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