IN THIS ISSUE · SPRING 2026 — Read the cover story
Some businesses exist to provide a product. Others become part of the fabric of a community.
For many residents of Crossville, Tennessee, Bloom Coffee has become both.
Whether it is a morning stop before work, a quick visit after school drop-off, or simply a place to grab a favorite drink and a friendly smile, Bloom Coffee has become a familiar part of daily life. Yet for owners Thomas and Kayla Bloom, the business has always been about more than serving coffee.
At its heart, Bloom Coffee is about people.
The Bloom family relocated from the Seattle area to Crossville in 2020, searching for something different than the fast-paced lifestyle they had known.
“We wanted a slower pace of living,” Kayla says. “Thomas had a really demanding job where he would be up until three in the morning sometimes. We just wanted to be home with our kids.”
Their move was not part of a carefully crafted business strategy. Instead, it felt like a step of faith.
While searching for a home in Middle Tennessee, the couple considered several communities. Then a listing appeared in Crossville.
“I didn’t even open the listing,” Kayla recalls with a laugh. “I just told Thomas, ‘This is our house. I don’t know why, but this is it.'”
The process unfolded smoothly despite multiple interested buyers.
“We really felt like the Lord was opening all the doors,” Kayla says.
The family’s move to Tennessee came with challenges of its own.
Traveling across the country with a trailer that was literally falling apart, the Blooms found themselves making emergency repairs in St. Louis.
“I had a high-lift jack, a skill saw, and an impact driver,” Thomas says. “We jacked the wall up, drove in new floorboards, and ratchet-strapped the whole thing together.”
The trailer survived the trip.
Even more remarkably, it would later become the foundation of Bloom Coffee’s Homestead location.
Opening a coffee business was never part of the original plan.
The Blooms simply enjoyed coffee and noticed a gap in the local market after moving to Crossville.
“We went to the Apple Festival and there were food trucks everywhere,” Thomas says. “But there wasn’t a coffee truck. It was early in the morning and I thought, I don’t want a chili dog. I want a coffee.”
That observation sparked an idea.
“If you see a need, fill it,” Thomas says. “We thought maybe other people want this too.”
The couple launched their first Bloom Coffee location the following March.
Like many new business owners, they experienced moments of uncertainty.
“I remember sitting in the back of the trailer with my head in my hands thinking, ‘Please let this work,'” Thomas says. “And my daughter was rubbing my back saying, ‘It’s going to be great.'”
She was right.
Today, Bloom Coffee has expanded to three locations serving customers throughout Crossville and Cumberland County.
Yet growth was never the primary goal.
For Thomas and Kayla, the mission has always centered on creating meaningful connections within the community.
“We always say our goal is to be the bright spot in somebody’s day,” Kayla says.
That philosophy influences every aspect of the business, from customer service to drink preparation.
Consistency and reliability are especially important to Thomas.
“I want to be open when we say we’re open,” he says. “Those people are out working. If we can offer them a cup of coffee on their way to work, that’s a big deal.”
Faith plays a significant role in how Bloom Coffee operates and how its team serves customers.
“Our standard operating procedures are based off the Bible,” Kayla explains. “You don’t have to believe what we believe, but this is how we’re going to treat people. This is how we’re going to treat coworkers.”
That commitment extends beyond customers and into the workplace culture they have built.
“We love our staff,” Kayla says. “We work with a lot of young people, and we want to support them and help them grow through whatever they’re going through.”
For the Blooms, success is not measured by sales figures or the number of locations.
It is measured by relationships.
The Blooms hope Bloom Coffee serves as more than a convenient stop for caffeine.
They want it to become part of the experiences and connections people share with one another.
“We want people to say, ‘Let’s go get Bloom,'” Kayla says. “Maybe it’s before heading to the park or meeting friends. Coffee brings people together.”
Across Crossville, that vision has become reality.
Customers know their baristas by name. Conversations happen at the window. Familiar faces return day after day.
What begins as a coffee run often becomes a relationship.
For Thomas and Kayla Bloom, the greatest reward is not expansion or recognition.
It is knowing they have created a place where people feel welcomed, encouraged, and valued.
“We just want to be a bright spot,” Kayla says.
In a community that treasures connection, kindness, and faith, Bloom Coffee has become exactly that.
And for the Blooms, helping that spirit grow may be the most meaningful accomplishment of all.
Written by Melissa Ellis
Photography by Amanda McGinnis
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