You’ve been to a coffee shop. You’ve probably been to some kind of nursery or plant shop. But have you ever been to a store that sells both? Now you can, thanks to Alexandra Patton’s new Shake & Bops Botanical Cafe in Leesburg.
The new coffee spot that opened its doors November 15 offers the Leesburg community a comfortable and aesthetic meeting space for nonprofits, small businesses, and individuals.
“Our goal is not only to be a café that serves top notch drinks – made with beans roasted by a local business – but also add to the growing downtown culture,” says Patton, owner of Shake & Bops.
While a coffee and houseplant shop seems out of the ordinary for most, it was right up the alley of the plant loving Patton family.
“Up until about four years ago [my husband and I] focused on outdoor gardening, but surprise, surprise we took a liking to indoor plants as well right around 2019,” says Patton. “Since then, propagation and combining different live arrangements in beautiful containers has become a passion.
“The combination of plants and coffee seems like a natural pair. One is very soothing and refreshing while the other offers a little pep to your day! What’s not to like?”
Patton says the menu at Shake & Bops is “simple and straightforward” to focus on the quality of the drinks. The café currently offers single and double espresso shots, lattes, cappuccinos, drip coffee, cold brew, and French press. Decaf will be added to the menu on Monday.
Other beverages include water, lemonade, kombucha, and hot tea. There’s also a rotating menu of sweet treats like biscotti, cookies, biscuits, and cakes.
While the smell of brewing coffee is powerful, you can’t miss the smell of fresh plants when you walk through the door. The café is home to over 50 different plants, all of which are for sale. From sprouts to mature trees, expect to find fiddle-leaf figs, monstera, spider plants, coleus, rubber plants, tradescantia zebrina, and jade.
In the coming weeks, the café has plans to open a membership program and add whole beans to the menu for at-home brewing.
Shake & Bops is currently open Mondays through Fridays from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., but Patton is hoping to expand the hours during the week and open on weekends in the coming months. 19 Wirt St., Leesburg
Feature image courtesy Shake & Bops Botanical Cafe
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