Meet the owners of the Columbus coffee shop that inspired the Chalice in ‘Theo of Golden’
As Allen Levi’s “Theo of Golden” becomes increasingly popular, fans seeking to make real the book’s fictional narrative often start their journey at Fountain City Coffee in Columbus, the inspiration for the Chalice coffee shop in the Harris County resident’s bestselling novel.
“I would say that the coffee shop is probably the most tangible piece of the book in Columbus, in my opinion,” Jud Richardson, who owns Fountain City Coffee, 1007 Broadway, with his sister, Libba Dillon, told the Ledger-Enquirer.
“This is the first time I’ve come to Fountain City, and I’ve lived here many years,” Midland resident Cheryl Buttler told the L-E during her June 25 visit. “I thought it was really quaint, and I was happy to see that the way that I pictured it in my mind is the way it looks.”
Buttler and her sisters Linda Pease and Charmaine Bagg were drinking coffee and concluding their interview when Levi arrived at Fountain City — and he sat at their table.
“I was thrilled because I had just started reading his ‘Theo of Golden’ book a week before and had also just listened to an interview he gave on YouTube,” Buttler wrote in a text message to the L-E. “I found him to be witty and very interesting with all the diverse roles he has played in life; attorney, judge, musician, and author. I found myself wishing I could sit and chat with him. So when my wish came to fruition, I was so honored and excited.”
“It’s really neat to see Allen’s success,” Richardson said “and then, on top of that, to see the way the people coming from the book into the coffee shop and then enjoying themselves and appreciating what we do. It’s been it’s been beneficial for sure.”
Richardson said Fountain City strives to make the customer’s experience fun, flavorful and welcoming. He described the vibe “as eclectic as the community itself. “
Hired at Fountain City in 2005, Richardson bought the business in 2013 and sold part of it to Dillon in 2017. Dillon said she felt the reputation of the coffee shop needed a boost.
"It was just maybe not the most positive, and I saw the opportunity,” she told the L-E. “I think Garry (Pound) was maybe in Costa Rica or somewhere. He was on a trip, and I just saw him sketching locals, and I just thought that was so cool,” she said.
Dillon contacted Pound, a Fountain City regular and well-known Columbus artist, with the idea of creating portraits that showcased Fountain City employees and customers and other people around town. She said it was a good way to portray the broad cross-section of the community that comes to Fountain City to enjoy a cup of coffee.
Nine years later, those portraits have remained a signature feature of Fountain City, with many still available for purchase. Pound has drawn an estimated 200-plus of these portraits, with about 90 still on the shop’s walls.
“A lot of these that are here are already sold,” Richardson said. "People buy it, and they want it to remain in the shop to be a part of the fabric of the coffee shop.”
Richardson, who doubles as Fountain City’s coffee roaster, said they have created and now sell a light roast called “Golden Hour” that includes a feather on the packaging and is available in store and online.
The roast is a tribute to “Theo of Golden,” which has a feather on its cover.
“It’s just a real easy drinking light roast that we made to sort of celebrate the book and bring people together over coffee and conversation,” Richardson said.
Richardson said Fountain City has a vibrant online store, thanks in part to members of the military who are stationed at nearby Fort Benning during their time in uniform.
“But when you see somebody buying three bags of Golden Hour or 12 bags of Golden Hour, you know they’re getting that for a purpose, and it’s cool.” he said, “They were able to find us and connect with that and be able to share that with the people wherever they live.”
Even though Fountain City now has a strong connection to a bestselling book, Dillon hopes visitors will make another connection.
“I think that once they get here, not only because of the book, they’ll realize we have really good coffee,” she said “We have a good craft that we’re doing here, and it’s great to get recognized.”
So, what’s next?
“Sell more coffee,” Richardson said. “That’s the plan. Get the beans into the cups to the people all over the nation.”
