19-year-old Andy Bunch has been an entrepreneur since he was 13. Now, he’s opened a second business aimed at providing the community with their coffee fix.
BEAN STATION, Tenn. — The Bean House opened last Friday. The coffee shop is something the surrounding community has long wanted in the area.
Though it’s only been open for a few days, the little shop is already winning over customers. Owner Andy Bunch said he worked quickly to open.
The space became available in June. He moved in on Aug. 1 and opened at the end of the month.
“I spent hundreds of hours out here in that month. I mean, I don’t think I ever left. It was here and then to the hardware store and then back and forth,” he said.
Running a business is nothing new for him. He and his mother opened Aunt B’s Ice Cream when Bunch was 13. He took full ownership just before his 18th birthday. Now he’s providing the community with another treat.
“We’ve had great turnouts for the grand opening. We had State Legislator Jesse Seal here, had the mayor here. We had a great opening. Everybody seems to like it so far. I’ve already had tons of returning customers,” Bunch said. “I’m glad that it is something I could give back to the community because I do feel like we’ve needed it.”
He said while running a business, let alone two, isn’t easy, he’s grateful for the opportunity and the support he’s gotten.
“It’s the scariest and the best feeling at the same time. I feel accomplished, but at the same time, it’s very nerve-wracking because it’s like, wow, I’ve got people that depend on me now,” Bunch said.
His message to other young entrepreneurs is this.
“Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone,” he said. “I was really nerve wrecked with not going to college or anything like that. Everybody says you need to go to college now. I didn’t, and it got out of my comfort zone, but so far it’s working out great and I’m really appreciative of it.”
He said there’s a chance for future business ventures, but he’s focusing on these two shops for now.