Rising Stars: Meet Connie Blalock of Albemarle Historic Downtown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Connie Blalock.

Hi Connie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m Connie Blalock, mother to Natalie (31) & Hannah (29). Joshua (14), my nephew, has lived with me since Jan 2020. I have owned and operated GloryBeans CoffeeHouse since June 2009. I was the youngest of 3, and we lived a very hostile and abusive life. My Dad was a very angry man who physically abused us, mostly my mom. My Dads life came to a tragic end on Independence Day, 1972.

My mother continued to choose men that abused her until I was 12ish. I dropped out of school before I was 16, struggled with learning, and was afraid to ask for help, fearing people would think I was stupid. I have lived with that fear most of my life. I realized in my 40s that it was a lie from the pit of hell. It’s still a daily battle that I work on overcoming every day, even after successfully operating 2 businesses.

When I started the coffee shop sometime around early 2000, God gave me a love for coffee and a vision to open a coffee shop. It was only a dream for several years. I dreamt that an older man walked up to my back deck and gave me a paper bag full of money. I had shared this dream with my oldest daughter. I don’t remember the time frame. One day while I was working at my cleaning business, my mom called me to say she wanted to buy my townhome. She had been taking care of her uncle, who passed away and left a lot of money. He was a hermit and hid money in his house. I immediately asked mom where she was getting the money and what the money was in. Of course, it was in a paper bag! That’s the money that I used to build the coffee shop. My mom took over ownership of the townhome. I opened GloryBeans CoffeeHouse on June 15, 2009.

One of the most important calls in my life is to take care of the homeless and hurting in my community. I have kept my doors open for anyone that needs a warm/cool place to hang out, free coffee, and food when needed. I have loved, cried, preached, yelled, and driven homeless people throughout the state. I have bought groceries and meds, paid electric bills, and rent. I have raised money, flown people to be with their families, and bought many bus tickets, train tickets, and ER visits. I officiated a funeral of a homeless man that I was trying so hard to get into rehab. He died a couple of days before his day to arrive at the rehab. I was heartbroken! God has helped me to love people unconditionally. I have failed. I have succeeded. My goal is to be a light in my community while also remembering to take care of myself and ensure my cup is full; sometimes, that is a struggle. I have hit burnout more than one time. I like to think GloryBeans is a hub for the homeless and hurting.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Hahaha! No! It’s been tough at times. Since I opened the shop, I have gone through many struggles. I got a divorce in 2017. I had breast cancer in 2018, including a mastectomy, chemo, radiation, and 4 more surgeries. 2020 came, covid. My nephew came to live with me in January 2020. I love him and wouldn’t want him anywhere else, but it required lots of change and sacrifice. My business went from 6-7 employees to 14-17 in 2020-2021: a huge blessing and challenge.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
GloryBeans is a full-service coffee bar; we sell coffees, lattes, Capps, and frappes. And you can get them anyway you want them! Our most popular drink is called a “Snowfall,” it’s made with coconut and white chocolate. Our baristas favorite things to do is make up new drinks. We are a cafe as well, selling breakfast/lunch/brunch. I love food! My favorite food to eat and cook is breakfast/brunch. We make a Creamy Gouda Grit Bowl that will change your thoughts about grits and eggs. We take local, stone ground grits and cook them with smoked Gouda and other yummy things; we then add them to a bowl, your choice of eggs, cooked any way you like them, and then add your choice of breakfast meat and sautéed veggies if you prefer. Pancakes, French Toast, and a wide variety of Crepes are also available. We make homemade Chicken Salad, Egg Salad, and Pimento Cheese for lunch. We also have a variety of hot paninis.

Please talk to us about happiness and what makes you happy.
Jesus! And worship music!

Hanging out with my adult children, their significant others, and my nephew and my dogs, Moose, Rudi and June.

Working at my business. Helping and loving others. Seeing the love in my shop and community.

Pricing:

• Grit Bowl $7
• Loaded Bagel $7
• Chicken Pesto Panini $9.85
• Chicken Salad Croissant $8.50
• Snowfall $4.75

Contact Info:

• Website: glorybeanscoffeehouse.com
• Instagram: @glorybeans_coffeehouse_
• Facebook: GloryBeans CoffeeHouse