Local couple make old building new emporium

    Murphy – After five years in a cabin on the U.S. 64 West four-lane highway, it was time for Kate Templeton to stop paying rent and expand her business, In With the Old.
    She and her husband, Pav, purchased the old Alverson building at 680 Andrews Road, then planned to turn it into a new business that would be a collaboration of their ideas – Rare Bird Emporium.
    Soon after, COVID-19 restrictions caused her business to temporarily close. They were able to devote their full attention to renovating their new building, which was built in 1955.
    “It was a great COVID project,” Templeton said. “It was good for me to have something to get up and go to.”
    The Templetons – including their children – did much of the work themselves. They tore out tile, took out the drop ceiling, removed dated brick and
put in new electrical and plumbing.
    “We went down literally to the bones,” she said.
    They learned the “bones” of the building were good.
    “The building’s amazing,” Templeton said.
    They left it in an industrial style, keeping exposed the red metal beams they discovered under the drop ceiling. They acid-stained the floor, repurposed many items salvaged from the building and replaced the front facade. They even built up sloped land beside the building to create a parking lot.
    While Templeton always wanted to add a coffee bar to her business – in the cabin, she had just a self-serve setup and wanted to focus on the retail aspect as a new business owner – COVID changed one part of that idea. While other businesses had to close, she watched as businesses with a drive-through continue to serve customers.
    As a result, they added
a grain bin to the side of
the building and turned it into a drive-through for coffee.
    Rare Bird Emporium began its soft opening period at the end of September. As soon as customers walk through the bright yellow door, which stands out even more against the peacock blue exterior, there’s a seating area for the coffee bar.
    The baristas were all new. The soft opening was used to give them practice before the official opening.
    Past the seating, treasures are decoratively and casually spaced and organized throughout the 4,000 square feet. Items in the store are all handmade, repurposed or vintage. A lot of the items are locally made, as Templeton looks for local and regional goods to fill her store.
    There’s Wehrloom Honey in one space with decorative bee textiles; in another there’s a space ready for Christmas. In a bin, there’s a pile of old floppy disks, but closer inspection reveals the disks have been turned into notepads.
    “It’s eclectic,” she said.
    The Templetons see relationships in the community as important, and already love seeing people coming in to enjoy a cup of coffee.
    “So much about coffee is sitting down with other people,” she said.