A place to "start with a sip" and "end with a pour," Local Joy melds the charm of a coffee shop with the elegance of a wine bar — all while bringing people together.
The newest addition to Banks offers a place to grab a drink anytime of the day, creating a space to sit back, unwind and chat with friends in the heart of the city on Northwest Main Street.
According to owners and longtime residents Josh and Christina Shroyer, the shop started with a simple idea: creating a place for people to gather.
“Over the last 30 years, we've noticed that there's been a big change in people getting together and visiting; we'll go years without seeing certain people within the community,” Josh Shroyer explained. “So that was kind of what started Local Joy — the idea was just kind of a gathering point for people that there really isn't anything in Banks right now like that, where people can get together.”
Inside a white and gray brick exterior, the shop exudes modernity in a quaint space. Soft lighting and comfortable seating combine for a cozy interior, complemented with wooden accents and verdant plants to create “an atmosphere of enjoyment, respite and relaxation,” according to the owners.
On the menu, Local Joy offers an eclectic assortment of beverages to quench your thirst. For coffee connoisseurs, customers can start their day with classic espressos, lattes and specialty drinks like cappuccinos, mochas and macchiatos. For those looking to unwind in the evening — or morning — the shop offers a curated selection of local wines, as well as ciders and beers produced in the area.
“Our whole thing is keeping it local; even our (beers) come from Public Coast, right down the road from our house,” Christina Shroyer said.
To accompany the drinks, Local Joy serves an array of smaller bites, including charcuterie boards, soups and freshly baked pastries perfect for pairing with a morning coffee. For more filling options, hot paninis and flatbread pizzas are also available.
For some, blending coffee and alcohol might seem like a bizarre concept — but it’s not totally unfamiliar. Look at Ava Roasteria’s coffee and cocktail bar , which just opened this past year.
“We're not a coffee shop and we're not a wine bar. We're kind of both. That hugely complicates things when you take the two and try to meld them into one, but it's been good because we have the ability to serve a wider variety of preferences,” Josh Shroyer said.
“We'll have groups come in here to do wine tasting, and if someone doesn't drink, they can get a nice coffee, a frappe or (soft serve). So we've got offerings during the evenings that a normal wine bar wouldn't have.”
A long time in the making
The restaurant just opened its doors in June, but the idea to open a communal space was sparked long ago.
According to Christina Shroyer, the couple first purchased another property down the road with plans to convert it into another coffee shop, but “the timing wasn’t right.”
“We actually bought this four years ago in 2020. And originally, even with that, it wasn't going to be a coffee shop; we were going to turn it into office space,” Christina Shroyer recalled.
“The coffee shop idea was something that we thought was necessary (and) would be good for this community. And then we thought about how we could also have something at nighttime too, which brought in the wine side,” she said.
Neither of the Shroyers have a background in the restaurant industry, but the couple has taken the time to figure out the logistics and develop the vision they had for a place to come together.
“We've pretty much ironed the bumps out, but coming into this and not knowing what we're doing, navigating the regulations and requirements has been huge. I would imagine that there are probably consultants that would help you through this process. In retrospect, that may have been helpful. We tried to do it ourselves,” Josh Shroyer said.
“It was a learning curve; it's probably a blessing that we've been able to take a couple of years to do this, because if we tried to do this in a hurry, we'd have screwed up a lot more,” he continued.
And things are just getting started for the Banks establishment. The business is eyeing a wine club to get the community involved, and entertainment could be making its way to the spot.
“We're also going to be doing some more specialty events that would be potentially reservation only, hopefully coming through the summer,” Josh Shroyer said.
“We want this to be kind of a unique stop for everyone, not just the local community,” he said. “We want to draw people in to check this place out because it is special.”
More information about Local Joy is available at localjoy.org .
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