Small‑Town Coffee Shop Battles Rising Costs in Virginia’s 1st District
Java Jacks owner Jeans Owens wrestles with soaring supply prices, electricity bills and staffing shortages while keeping meals affordable.
Welcome to Java Jacks, a riverside café in Tappahannock, Virginia, where the sausage is savory, the beignet‑like jacks are sugar‑dusted, and the t‑shirts range from bright “Come in, We’re Awesome” to darkly funny “Coffee Makes Me Feel Less Murdery.”
From T‑shirts to Coffee: How the Café Grew
Owner Jeans Owens says the shop began by selling only t‑shirts featuring the building’s image. “We started by selling just the t‑shirts of the building,” she laughs, recalling how staff‑designed sarcastic shirts soon flew off the shelves.
Java Jacks opened in 2006 in a former one‑story home on the town’s main road. Owens and her husband took over the business about eight years ago, seeking the freedom of being their own bosses and a foothold for retirement.
Rising Costs Hit the Bottom Line
Since 2022, coffee prices have risen “over 30%,” Owens reports. The cost of beef, sausage and paper products for takeout orders has also surged. She notes that a to‑go box that once cost 12 cents now costs nearly 30 cents, and a cup, lid and straw that together cost about 3 cents now total more than 20 cents.
Electricity bills have more than doubled. “Normally, I’m paying $450, $500 a month,” she says. I’m paying over $1,000 now.
Creative Cost‑Cutting Measures
To keep menu items affordable, Owens maintains some meals at $10. She now buys milk and juice early at Walmart rather than from a supplier, and sources fresh fruit at a local grocery store. She also compares prices among three suppliers and switches to the lowest‑cost option.
Changing Customer Habits
Owens observes more senior citizens splitting orders, turning a few occasional visits into multiple daily tickets. Tips, which were traditionally generous in the small setting, dipped when gas prices spiked and rose again as fuel costs fell.
Staffing, Housing and Transportation Challenges
Finding and keeping employees is the biggest stressor. Owens runs a second coffee spot across the river in Warsaw and has been short‑staffed at both locations for months. Rural rents have risen, with a median income of about $50,000 a year, prompting Owens to help workers locate housing and even place them temporarily in a motel.
Transportation barriers add to the problem: some staff lack cars, and high gas prices squeeze them further. We have about five employees that we carpool to work, Owens says.
Because of these pressures, Owens takes kitchen shifts herself, pushing front‑of‑house duties and paperwork to evenings and days off. She notes that many local restaurant owners are “working themselves to the bone.”
Looking Ahead: A Voice for Small Businesses
Although Owens declines to discuss midterm politics, the housing and transportation issues she’s witnessed have motivated her to run for the non‑partisan town council in Tappahannock, which lies in Virginia’s 1st Congressional District. The district’s race between long‑time Republican incumbent Rob Wittman and Democrat Shannon Taylor is currently tight.
Owens says she wants whichever candidate wins to understand the struggles of small businesses like hers. “We’re struggling,” she says bluntly.
Despite the hurdles, Java Jacks remains a cozy, friendly spot, its walls lined with photos of smiling customers and staff, a testament to the community’s support.
