Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

LaFAYETTE — The Greater Valley Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday morning hosted a ribbon cutting for a new business in downtown LaFayette. Located along a very busy portion of Highway 431 across from the Chambers County Courthouse, Gimme Some Coffee is a companion business to Gimme Some Sugar Boutique & Gifts, which opened in November 2020. Owners Justin and Jennifer Graves took a chance opening a new business during the Covid pandemic, but things have worked out well for them. Their women and children’s boutique, home decor and furniture restoration business has fared well, and they’re hoping for similar success with Gimme Some Coffee. 

“We will have speciality coffee and pastries,” Jennifer said. “We will have a flag outside with a cup of coffee on it. We’d like for people heading north or south on 431 to stop for awhile to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee and a pastry while they browse through our boutique.”

Gimme Some Sugar and Gimme Some Coffee is in the middle of a storefront made famous in the 1988 historical crime thriller film “Mississippi Burning.”

“From our store location, we have seen a lot of people having their picture taken in front of the statue 0f Joe Louis,” Jennifer said. “We think downtown LaFayette is a great place to have two businesses, not just one.”

Mississippi Burning was a very successful film. With most of the filming done in and around LaFayette, it cost approximately $15 million to make but more than doubled that at the box office, bringing in more than $34 million. Gene Hackman received a nomination for the Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of FBI Agent Rupert Anderson, and the film won awards for cinematography.

Gimme Some Sugar received the 2021 Retail Business of the Year from the GVACC. It gets its name from the way Jennifer’s late grandmother greeted her loved ones when they came for a visit.

“In honor of my late grandmother, I want to welcome all my guests the same way, whether it be in the store or online,” Jennifer writes on her Facebook page. “I opened this store to bring furniture back to life, sell beautiful clothing and to help create an inviting atmosphere for your home with decor.”