women / barista owned
& Operated coffeehouse
The idea for Stompin' Grounds is very much derived from the dark and gothic side of Appalachia. Visually it will focus on natural materials and dark colors paired with some more hard and punk inspired elements, but the energy for this location is fueled by the owner’s love of folk punk music and the community that creates it. Every year Gabzy (the owner) goes to the Muddy Roots Music Festival in Cookeville, TN where a range of musicians from traditional bluegrass to black metal and everything in between perform in an all DIY outdoor camping festival. There you experience a rebellious but strong knit community of people that care about each other, the environment, and celebrate human arts to its fullest. To bring these values to the coffee shop world seems like the perfect balance between the community spaces created by the coffee houses from the 90s and the elevation and celebration of craft in the modern coffee shop world. In some ways it seems essential, now more than ever, that we go back to focusing on passionately crafted products and experiences that celebrate the creativity and artistry of the human hand. Whether this be through a cup of barista-brewed coffee, the hand-thrown mug in which it's served in, or the shaker-made table that you set it all down on, It deserves to be experienced. This is this Appalachian Anarchist spirit that Stompin’ Grounds wants to bring to the local Richmond coffee scene. In other words (to quote the Muddy Roots Community itself) Stomp In Grounds wants to embody the “DIY Till I Die” spirit in everything that's produced there in this coffee-based community space.
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One of the things Stompin' Grounds' truly believes is that we are getting very close to a modern renaissance in the sense that we as a culture are returning to really focusing, funding, and creating hand crafted goods again, mainly in response to the AI boom. This is something we 100% want to reflect as we step forward into bringing this coffee shop to life. One of our main goals is to avoid mass-produced items as much as possible in order to feature and appreciate art that enhances all of our lives.
As a Ceramic artist, the owner plans to make all of the hot serving-ware used in the shop. This includes espresso cups, plates, bowls, spoons and much more except for one element. Drip Coffee mugs. While these will still 100% be hand-crafted artisan mugs, Gabzy wants to share with you the joy of having a mug collection but in the Coffee Shop environment. It is so common for people in the modern world to grab a mass-produced mug for under $15 since a true hand made ceramic mug can range anywhere from $60 to even $200. While this is an understandable action in today's economic environment, It's surprising how the Coffee Shop industry hasn't tried to bridge this gap. More often than not Shops still rely on mass-produced, easily replaceable mugs often leaning into the idea of keeping the “fine china” locked away in a cabinet to be admired but never used. Instead, Stompin’ Grounds will have a beautiful collection of hand-made artisan mugs for customers to use to celebrate and support both the local Richmond artist and traditional Appalachian makers alike.
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Asides from the ceramic goods, most items within this shop will be handmade by artisans in the local community, whether it's the coffee, the serving ware, or the art on the walls. That being said, aside from the tools of production used behind bar, if the item is not made by human hands it is either thrifted or repurposed, really embodying the "Planet over Profit" spirit of the folk punk culture. This will result in primarily thrifting second hand furniture to use in the store. Antique furniture has always had more of a care in the visuals and the longevity of an item, especially traditional "post and rung" Shaker chairs which are known for their durability and extreme functionality in their hand made designs. The sad part is most of these beautiful well crafted pieces are often thrown to the way side for modern easily-made plastic pieces that aren't comfortable at all and ruin your coffee shop experience. You' ll quickly learn how much Stompin’ Grounds wants this shop to be a place for the community to use and stay as long as they like, hence needing comfortable, well crafted chairs for you to sit in.
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Community is another element that is felt so much when you experience the Muddy Roots Music Festival and Stompin’ Grounds definitely wants to bring that into this Coffee shop. We already know the punk community exists alive and well in Richmond but we want to create a space for it to gather during they day. You can easily see the reflection of us in already established and loved businesses in Richmond such as Saturn Returns and Rest in Pieces (aka our “goth Cowboy store” and the local Taxidermy/Oddities store), not to mention Resturaunts and venue spaces like Cobra Cabana, Banditios, and Strange Matter (may she rest in piece). Plus the local diy music scene is practically the beating heart of this community and could be argued Richmond as a whole. So much of Gabzy’s time in Richmond has been engulfed in not only the arts community here but in the music scene and Stompin' Grounds definitely serves to be a space for the combination of these things. Whether that be just saturating this Coffee Shop with as much local art and music as possible or hosting unique punk community events like heavy metal yoga, Stich n' Bitches, and more, Stompin’ Grounds is here for it and wants to bring to life whatever the community needs!
