After nearly two years taking coffee to the community, Jojo’s Espresso is opening a permanent space for people to grab their brew.
The local company is joining Thornwood’s tenant mix at Market Row in the southwest corner of the Germantown mixed-use development near Neshoba and Germantown roads.
As electrical and plumbing work was underway Wednesday morning, Taylor and Hannah Whiddon peered past the dust and construction materials to envision the space they’ll open in the fall. At that time, they’ll press pause on their food truck, which is how they’ve grown the business’ local fame.
“Our grand vision wasn’t to do mobile the whole time.” said Taylor Whiddon, who is also on staff at Life Church. “We wanted to do a coffee shop, but the experience wasn’t there and the funds weren’t there.”
The two began traveling Shelby County streets in July 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to opening, they experimented with a quality espresso machine in their home using locally-roasted Vice & Virtue Coffee. Pretty quickly, they mastered a perfect cup of joe.
“We got pretty serious about this idea,” Whiddon recalled. “We wanted our trailer to scream coffee shop. It looks like a coffee shop you are walking up to.”
Visitors sit under a canopy listening to jazz music as they make their order. Jojo’s has consistent seasonal specials on the menu in addition to gluten-free scones, muffins and other sweet treats. The mounted lighting against white tile backsplash invites customers toward the truck. The espresso machine sits under the large Jojo’s Espresso logo.
The company name is a tribute to their second son Josiah, who died in December 2018 at 7 weeks old. “Jojo,” as they called him, was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, meaning the left side of his heart was underdeveloped. It badly damaged his lungs as a result. Josiah spent his life at LeBonheur Children’s Hospital, time Whiddon describes as “an emotional rollercoaster.”
“We treat this business with excellence because it’s honoring him,” he said. “We want to fight like he did.”
Whiddon stays upbeat when talking about Josiah. In the store, his story and picture will have a place.
Since launching, they have visited neighborhoods and various events in the area. The popularity of food trucks grows in numerous ways, but word of mouth is an advantage.
Thornwood is a popular stop for the truck. The development is privately owned and the property manager allows them to set up three times each week. Having a permanent space in the development made sense.
Additionally, Spence Ray, Thornwood developer and vice president of McNeill Commercial Real Estate, asked them multiple times to be part of the community.
“I probably asked them six times over a period of two years, and I didn’t do it flippantly.” Ray said. “From day one, we wanted all the businesses (in the development) to be locally owned and locally run. When a business is local, they tend to get involved in the community and they look at the community as part of their business rather than just a customer. I think those are holistically healthy.”
Whiddon said the first time Ray approached them, it wasn’t the right time. Ray knew their restaurant experience was limited at that time, but he knew they were learning and would continue to grow.
“I asked them to consider it and pray about it,” Ray said, later adding: “They’ve built a customer base in Germantown and refined their product and their service. They have really matured as far as how they run the operation.”
Since Thornwood’s early days, Ray has desired a coffee shop for residents and the community to enjoy. Whiddon, a Germantown resident, was drawn to Thornwood even before the couple took their coffee to the location regularly.
“There’s something about the style and the aesthetic,” he said. “There’s something about where apartments, hotels and retail meet. It’s an attractive place we want to go to.”
He also noted Germantown doesn’t have a specialty coffee shop, a void he wanted to fill.
Whiddon hopes to take the aesthetics of the truck indoors: butcher black countertops, wood tones and greenery accompany the white-and-black logo, and jazz music plays during the short wait for beverages,
Whiddon wants to tap into the vibe coffee shops possess. When he’s out of town, he enjoys visiting a local coffee shop. He plans a “massive” coffee bar with about 15-18 seats on the perimeter. They will also have outdoor seating along Neshoba Road in their space between Uncle Goyo’s Mexican Restaurant and the incoming TCBY.
“We want ambient lighting, hanging single lightbulbs,” he said. “Vintage style. We just want it to feel very homey – kind of like a jazz lounge without the jazz band. … We don’t want to look like a cafeteria.”
As they’ve always done, they will continue to use Vice & Virtue coffee. Those visiting the area, utilizing the development’s hotels, can truly experience “a taste of Memphis.”
Hannah Whiddon is taking a break from nursing, and she will continue to make the fresh homemade syrups. Palmer House, which has provided the baked goods in the truck, will also provide them for the store.
The truck has been a great space to start and it may return, but the Whiddons are ready to pour themselves into Jojo’s next chapter.
“We want to put our full attention on the storefront,” he said. “I think we might focus more on a second storefront rather than a mobile unit.”