Local Mom Follows Long-Time Dream of Opening a Coffee Shop In Zionsville
Photographer / Brian Brosmer
Zionsville coffee lovers are no doubt rejoicing this month as the town has gotten its first truly local coffee shop.
Roasted in the Village officially celebrated its grand opening on Nov. 15. The new, family-owned coffee shop is located in the heart of Zionsville at 27 E Pine St., right around the corner from The Friendly Tavern and The Lemon Bar.
The coffee shop is a 20-year-long dream in the making for owner Amy Biggs, who is excited to finally see that dream come to life in Zionsville.
“About 20 years ago, I decided that when I retired I was going to open up a coffee shop in my local community,” Biggs says. “We wanted to get the kids through college before I stepped away from my corporate job. I’m very excited. This has been a long time coming for me. There were definitely tears of joy on that first day we opened.”
Biggs, an avid coffee-drinker herself, was always looking for a place in Zionsville to sit for a cup of coffee, buy a bag of coffee beans or even get together for a short meeting or chat with friends. Having lived in Zionsville for 23 years now, she knew a coffee shop was lacking in the Village and something the community might be looking for as well.
It was a no-brainer, she says, to open her dream coffee shop in a place that has been her home for more than two decades.
“We love it here,” she says. “The Village is very pretty, quaint and there is a lot of foot traffic. And there’s never really been a coffee shop here. I wanted to bring that to the Village. I want it to be a destination coffee shop experience for people.”
The feel and atmosphere of Roasted in the Village, as you might imagine, is laid back and relaxing. The shop can seat about 35 to 40 people and welcomes guests in with an open floor plan, a big, white shiplap wall behind the main coffee bar, where the menu and drink specials hang, and white brick walls throughout the space.
On one of the main, white brick walls in the corner of the shop is a personal tribute to Biggs’s mother— a colorful, painted mural of birds and different flowers adorn the wall. She also offers a special drink in memory of her father.
“When my parents passed away (my dad in 2011 and my mom in 2015) they each left me a bit of money [we used to] invest into the coffee shop,” Biggs says. “So, to honor them, the mural incorporates Chrysanthemums, which were my mom’s favorite flowers. I also offer a Chemex pourover called the ‘Hey, Doc’ because my dad was a professor of Chemistry at the University of Notre Dame, and his friends at church called him ‘Doc.’”
What will set Roasted in the Village apart from other big-box coffee shops, Biggs says, is they will “offer exceptional coffee and tea service.” Biggs has partnered with Nelson’s Teas — an Indianapolis-based loose leaf tea company — to bring a variety of tea options to her coffee shop.
On the coffee side, Biggs is using beans from a roaster based in Louisville. She is making sure the options are authentic coffee house drinks that are fresh roasted, fresh ground and fresh brewed every time.
The business is 100% a family affair, too. Biggs says her daughter handles social media, her husband built the main bar and her son has also helped out with the shop.
“My family is very excited,” she says. “This has become more of a family journey than I would have expected. Every day they’ve helped me out in one way or another.”
So far, the community response has been quite positive for Biggs, who says that has certainly given her some validation in making the decision to open the coffee shop in Zionsville.
“People have been very complimentary about how the shop has turned out,” she says. “We have had a lot of family and friends come in. But local merchants and those realizing we have a coffee shop now have come in too and been genuinely excited that we are now open. It certainly reinforces that there was a need for a locally-owned coffee shop in the Village.”
In the future, Biggs aims to give back to the Zionsville community in a variety of ways.
“We want to make sure we are very intentional about our community involvement,” she says. “One big focus for us will be on our youth. Those coming in that want to hang signs or flyers in the window, I am prioritizing that it has something to do with the youth of the community. There are already some charitable organizations we are talking with as well and creating some relationships that hopefully allow us to give back.”
Roasted in the Village will also be a part of monthly local events in Zionsville. On Dec. 12, the coffee shop will be included in the lineup of vendors for the Christmas in the Village Ladies Night. Guests can always visit their Facebook page to see upcoming events.
At the end of the day, Biggs hopes her coffee shop will be a place that locals and their families enjoy visiting. She encourages those who haven’t stopped by yet to pop in and visit.
“We’d love for anyone to come in and visit us,” she says. “Come experience spending some time at Roasted in the Village and give us your feedback. We hope everyone enjoys it.”
Roasted in the Village is located at 27 E Pine St in Zionsville. The coffee shop is open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. For more information, give them a call at 317-344-2181 or visit them online at roastedinthevillage.com.
