New coffee shop brings community and specialty brews to Clarksville this November

The smell of coffee, muffins, and bagels with warm hellos will soon be in Clarksville as a new coffee shop opens this November.

Caramel Marvel, Cinnabuzz Latte, Teddy Bear Latte and Starry Skies Creme Freeze are some of the specialties that Clarksville coffee drinkers can soon try as entrepreneurs Neil Patel, Parth Patel, and Bobby Arelli bring Biggby Coffee to the city.

Neil Patel and Parth Patel (no relation) first met during their senior year at a gym in Nashville. The pair quickly hit it off and started their real estate business together. After years of working together, the duo began looking to expand their business ventures when a friend introduced them to Arelli.

Arelli, whose career was in the healthcare field, said he's always wanted a coffee shop and knew once meeting Neil and Parth that it was something worth doing, even if they are closer in age to his children than him.

"I hate to use the word kids, because they're kids as in the way I look at it," Arelli said. "They really are very polished, very ethical, really forward-thinking and progressive in what they want to do and what they want to achieve."

From there, the partners searched and spoke to multiple companies until they found the right business in Biggby Coffee franchise, which matched their morals, sense of community and provided customers with a good product.

"A coffee shop can be diverse and have many different people there for multiple reasons," said Parth. "It brings everyone together, and that's what we want."

When looking for a company, they wanted a name that would bring recognition, but more importantly, a place where people could come in and feel like family.

"We want the name Starbucks carries, but we want the community feel of a Mom and Pop shop," said Arelli.

When initially looking for a place to start the coffee business, the trio thought Clarksville would be great with the growth rate, but they quickly fell in love with the sense of community the city offers.

The proposed coffee shop will be at 2155 Peachers Mill Road, Suite C, near West Creek Elementary, Middle and High Schools and Fellowship United Methodist Church.

"We realized a lot of the morals of the community align with ours," Neil said. "Family-oriented and hard-working, and we really wanted to implement ourselves within the community."

The trio expressed that while they want to sell coffee, Biggby's is just one of the things they want to bring to Clarksville. They also want to provide a comfortable space and to serve the community.

"When you think of coffee, you think of being in a relaxed mood or environment or uplifting, and that's what I want to reflect as we start to open one one up," Arelli said. "Come to our store and feel welcomed, and it's not just to buy a cup of coffee. We want you to feel like when you come to our store, it makes you feel like you come in happy, and I hope you're leaving happier."

Leading up to the opening, the trio said they plan to do a lot of community outreach, especially with the schools so close, and to get more involved in the community.

What's on the menu

Although they have some creatively named drinks, Biggby Coffee's menu stretches beyond coffee. From lattes, blasts and cold brews to bacon, egg and cheese waffle sandwiches, ham and cheese bagels and pumpkin muffins, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

What is Biggby Coffee?

According to its website, Biggby's Coffee opened its first shop in 1995 by Mike McFall and Bob Fish in East Lansing, Michigan.

"Welcoming. Unintimidating. Fun. BIGGBY ^® COFFEE is a come-as-you-are and be-who-you-are kind of place! It’s where old friends gather. And new friends are made," the website tells what makes Biggby's so different.

In 1999, the two decided to open the doors for business owners to franchise, and Biggby Coffee has expanded from Michigan to eight other states, including one in Memphis that opened last year.

This will be the second Biggby's Coffee in Tennessee, but the trio plans to continue. They plan to open nine more locations in the next six years.

Kenya Anderson is a reporter for The Leaf-Chronicle. She can be contacted at kanderson@gannett.com or on X at kenyaanderson32 . Sign up for the Leaf-Chronicle to support local journalism at www.theleafchronicle.com.

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: New coffee shop brings community and specialty brews to Clarksville this November