Keel And Tammy Irvin Pass Corner Coffee Baton To Wylie Family

By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor

After five and a half years of owning and running Corner Coffee, Keel and Tammy Irvin sold the shop to Jon and Emily Wylie. Before Hope House Cafe, Za Brew, and Rosie Mae’s coffee bar opened, the Irvins started what was then Trenton’s only coffee shop. Now, the Wylies are eager to continue offering the same great service and fostering the welcoming environment that Corner Coffee customers have come to love.

The Wylies bought the business the first week of January and jumped right into running the shop. They moved to the area about eight years ago, but they put down deeper roots over the last five years. Their children began attending Dade County Schools about five years ago, the family is involved in rec sports, and they’re active members at Grace Community Trenton.

In the Wylie’s words, “We’ve really come to appreciate the tightness of this community and the connection we’ve found here.”

Ever since Jon and Emily got married, they had a dream of one day working together, and Corner Coffee made that possible.

When the Irvins decided to sell the business, they looked for buyers who shared their vision. Very sincerely, Keel said, “We wouldn’t have sold it if it wasn’t the right people to carry on. Jon and Emily’s heart, faith, their children, everything about them is such a bright light in the community. I couldn’t have handpicked better people for this shop than them.”

The Wylies were impressed with what the Irvins built at Corner Coffee and want to see it continue. Emily said, “What Keel and Tammy built here is really beautiful. It kind of feels like the living room of Trenton. More than anything, we want to go deeper in getting to know the community and welcoming tourists.”

Community and connection were themes in the Irvin’s time running the shop as well. They enjoyed meeting locals and welcoming tourists. Tammy said, “After moving here, this really made us feel part of the community. Not only was this a living room for our customers, but it was for us too. I think there’s magic here, and I think the Wylies are going to keep that magic going.”

Keel added, “People who move here and don’t know anybody connect to the community through the coffee shop. All kinds of people from all over have connected here and met friends they would’ve otherwise never known.”

The biggest challenge during the Irvin’s time owning the shop was COVID-19, but being a family run business also poses difficulties. Tammy said, “You want to be open hours and days that serve the community, but we also have our own relationship, our children who live all over, and our grandkids. It was a challenge to have a work-life balance.”

When asked if they feel ready to take on the challenge of running a small business, the Wylies said, “We feel really hopeful because it’s so well-established. If we were starting out from nothing, that would be much harder.”

Jon also has a bookkeeping business and works in real estate on the side, and together, they have something of an entrepreneurial mindset.

The Wylies plan to keep the same menu and start with the current open days/hours. As they consider expanding their hours, they want to hear what customers want. Stop by Corner Coffee on the town square to meet the family and offer your feedback.