Melissa Asher (center) with some of the staff at Brewed Awakenings
By Mike Steely
steelym@knoxfocus.com
“We like giving back to the community,” said Melissa Asher.
Asher is a massage therapist who works with Dr. Lisa Beighle at Mountain View Chiropractic in Seymour. The two women saw a closed coffee and ice cream shop on Chapman Highway and thought about what they might make of the place. They wanted something that would be cozy and family friendly.
That’s how Brewed Awakenings was born. Today the popular coffee restaurant, located at 11212 Chapman Highway in Seymour, offers customers a variety of coffee, pastries, soups, sandwiches and a variety of daily specials like Muffin Monday, Wear it Wednesday and 10% off Frappe Fridays.
Muffin Monday offers a free muffin with the purchase of a specialty drink. Wear It Wednesday grants discounts of 50% to customers wearing the Brewed Awakenings tee shirt and 10% off Frappe Fridays is just as the name implies.
Brewed Awakenings offers 10% off to college students and, when the school is in session, is a very popular spot for Johnson University students. The restaurant offers free Wi-Fi, sponsors special events like Get Fit Seymour, and offers a free Tuesday morning Coffee Talk from 7:30 until 8:30 for local businesses.
Asher says Brewed Awakening’s name was suggested by Dr. Beighle’s sister. They felt that the name appropriate and clever for a coffee shop and were also pleased that it contained both Beighle and Asher’s initials.
“We’re very patriotic and community oriented,” Asher explained to The Focus, pointing to the wall décor. The themes on the walls and decoupage table tops feature local schools, the Lady Vols and the Great Smoky Mountains.
“We opened on December 2 in 2013 and we feel like we are here for a reason,” she said.
Brewed Awakenings is open 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. Monday through Saturdays and on Sundays from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Kathleen Shields is the manager and she is no stranger to the coffee business with many years of experience and expertise.
Asher wants readers to know that Brewed Awakenings is always open to comments and suggestions to “let us know how we can better serve you!” The café can be found on social media with the following handles: Facebook, Brewed Awakenings – Seymour; Twitter, Hug_A_Mug; and Instagram, Brewed250.
