5 Questions with John Woodward: Coffee shop owner enjoys paddling, pedaling in Columbus
From the perspective of someone who's parents owned a fabric store downtown in the '50s and '60s, how has downtown Columbus evolved?
Sears, Penny's, Montgomery Ward, Woolworths, Schomburg's Jewlers, etc., all used to be downtown. Downtown was Columbus -- and vice versa. In 1965, Columbus Square Mall changed all that. Downtown was declared dead by many. Visionaries like architect Rozier Dedwylder and arts lover Sally Foley -- both neighbors -- and many others had a different opinion about the city's future and were determined to save downtown. They did. Now we have new visionaries such as John Turner, Teresa Tomlinson and Buddy Nelms to provide the vision until a new group emerges. The future of downtown and of Columbus is in good hands.
What would your parents think of the downtown of today?
My dad passed in '63, so he left at the peak of downtown's economic power and influence. He would have had the hardest time understanding why we didn't save more of our heritage and protect more of our historical buildings.
Mother passed in '05 and truly thought downtown had been abandoned and was not revivable. She was pretty angry as she watched downtown die. I think if she were around today, she would love to live, shop and eat there.
Are you still in the coffee business?
Just beginning my 13th year of roasting coffee. I started and owned Columbus Coffee Company coffee shop for 10 years and have been custom roasting for select clients since 2002.
Coffee runs in my veins, and with my passion for coffee and being an analytical chemist, roasting coffee is a natural. Buying green coffee beans from all over the world and roasting and blending them to produce exquisite flavor profiles is a great way to spend my time. I like to say I drink the best coffee in the world, mine!
As someone who enjoys outdoor pursuits, what is you favorite outdoor activity in the Columbus area?
It's a toss-up between paddling one of my touring kayaks and bicycling. This area is excellent for flat-water paddlers in addition to our whitewater activities. If you are interested in wildlife, then long boat touring is the way to see a lot.
I also love biking. I try to pedal with my best friend three or four times a week. We keep our bikes at my roastery, which happens to be only a couple of feet from the Columbus Georgia Fall Line Trace. I keep a road bike here and a mountain bike at the farm.
What is the best kept secret in the Chattahoochee Valley?
Our potential. We have so much potential because we have such a solid foundation. We have an abundance of natural resources such as the river and its broad and mostly healthy watershed. We have a very good physical infrastructure which is vital to a city's economic development and prosperity. We have amazing public-private partnerships and a university that is growing and expanding its influence. We also have good leaders that have the vision necessary to plan for the future and the drive required to succeed. The future is bright!
Name: John W. Woodward
Age: 59
Job: Owner and master roaster for Great Southern Coffee LLC
Hometown: Columbus
Current home: Lakebottom area
Family: Wife, Gail, and our 15-year-old Basenji, Chance of a Lifetime (Chance)
Education: Hardaway High School, 1973; Columbus State University, B.S. in chemistry, 1985
Favorite book: “The Lord of the Rings”
Favorite movie: “Across the Universe”
Favorite restaurant: La Côte Saint-Jacques in France
Favorite quote: “The most difficult thing to do is to make a decision!”
Favorite song: Jeff Buckley, “Hallelujah”
Best concert attended: Los Angeles Guitar Quartet several times, including once in Columbus
This story was originally published February 15, 2015 at 10:04 PM with the headline "5 Questions with John Woodward: Coffee shop owner enjoys paddling, pedaling in Columbus."