Albany’s Cornerstone Coffee + Co. expands to Dawson

DAWSON – Since Cornerstone Coffee + Co. opened its doors in Albany in 2021 and joined the small stretch of businesses along the eastern-most block on Pine Avenue, a new spark of excitement has ignited in Albany’s downtown.

Anastasia Franklin, the co-owner of Cornerstone, said the shop offers a place for people from all walks of life to gather and experience the near universal love for coffee. Franklin said she’s seen more life come to downtown, and the shop’s success gave them the momentum to search for new opportunities.

Now, Cornerstone’s sister shop is set to open in Dawson next Wednesday, bringing local, fresh-brewed coffee to a community that’s long gone without it. Franklin said the welcoming at “soft openings” has been “unbelievably warm.”

“I think Dawson was super excited for us to come and literally paved the way for us to be there,” she said. “There’s been so many people that have wanted a coffee shop for a long time, and they just haven’t had someone willing to take the risk to put it there.”

Before Cornerstone’s opening, folks in Dawson had to travel for good coffee. Franklin said many people said they would travel about 30 minutes to the Starbucks on Dawson Road in Albany. If they wanted something local, they’d drive even farther to Cornerstone.

Cheryl Cannon, the Terrell County Chamber of Commerce’s executive director, emphasized the need for a coffee shop in Dawson since she began working with the chamber in the last year. She was a frequent customer of Cornerstone’s Albany location and thought the shop’s emphasis on faith and values aligned with Dawson’s community. She wanted to find a way to bring the shop to Dawson.

“The chamber members sat down and wanted to make some good decisions for their downtown area to revitalize it and bring it back to life – draw people in,” Franklin said. “One of the things they came up with was a coffee shop, and they thought about ours.”

When Cornerstone posted about its new mobile coffee cart, Cannon said it was like the stars aligned. Working together, the chamber had its front welcome space renovated to be able to fit a small coffee shop. Dawson locals were hired to work the shop.

“I loved Stan and Ana and their story,” Cannon said. “I loved what they do in their community and everything they stand for, so it kind of fit right in with our community. It’s just what we needed.”

The chamber building is centrally located on U.S. Highway 82. It’s also an eye-catcher with a large mural that reads “Dawson” on the side. One side of the building also houses Westover Animal Hospital – another expanded Albany-based business.

Cannon said this location is a temporary build to test the waters for having the shop permanently in Dawson, but the response had already been great. She said the first soft opening brought eager customers from the local community but also from surrounding rural communities in other counties.

“They were excited to finally have a coffee shop to go to,” she said.

Cannon said it will make a huge difference for those in Terrell County who work early mornings: teachers, plant workers and those in the Courthouse.

Megan Johnson, a Dawson native and owner of Red Fox Cattle Company, said the shop will be a great asset to her hometown. She said it’s been exciting watching Dawson grow. Cornerstone is just part of an array of new business developments Dawson has seen in the last year.

Johnson said it’s good not only for locals, but for people traveling through Dawson along U.S. 82. She said not many people go to Dawson just to visit but that a coffee shop could change that.

“It may bring more people to Dawson so they can see what the community’s all about,” she said.

Shawn O’Connor-Veazie, the executive director of Dawson’s Downtown Development Authority, said he hopes Cornerstone draws more people to the chamber’s Welcome Center, allowing the chamber to market the community more.

He said a coffee shop in Dawson is one of the keys to helping revitalize the community. Without such a community hub, he said it can be more difficult to move forward.

“It’s a space where people can sit, relax, be creative and enjoy a coffee or conversation,” he said. “Then, they can look around them and think about other possibilities downtown.”

O’Connor-Veazie said Dawson’s recent development has changed the attitude of the community and that Cornerstone will just add to the reignited energy.

“When I first got to Dawson, people were really a little pessimistic and beaten-down, having watched 20 years of decline,” he said. “Now … the optimism is just off the charts.”

Franklin said since Cornerstone came to Albany, more people see the potential to invest in Albany’s downtown. She said she’s hoping for the same in Dawson.

“I’m excited to see the lives that are touched and changed and maybe the hope that’s restored in the community because it can be difficult when you’ve lived in a place for a long time, wanting things for a long time and never really seeing it happen,” she said.

Franklin said having more small businesses downtown benefits everyone in the community.

“Small towns deserve great downtown areas that they can be proud of,” she said. “We’re hoping that this will become a trend, and we’ll be able to be in even more places.”

Cannon said there’s excitement around recreating this idea in other counties, like Randolph.

“I just hope it’s a building block for more to come,” she said.

Cannon encouraged people to visit the chamber and learn about options and opportunities for prospective businesses.

Right now, Cornerstone is preparing for its grand opening from 6-10 a.m. Wednesday. The ribbon-cutting will be at 9 a.m. The shop will be open regularly Monday through Friday at these same hours.

Franklin said expanding is exciting, and she’s already discussing opportunities in other surrounding towns. However, she said she also wants to hold onto Cornerstone’s quality and make each shop unique to its community.

“We want to make sure that Cornerstone for Albany will be for Albany, and Cornerstone for Dawson will be for Dawson,” she said.

Staff Photo: Lucille Lannigan

Staff Photo: Lucille Lannigan