In 2004, Gallery Row Coffee opened as the coffee shop on Adamson Square, and in 2010, Lisa Chambers joined the staff. Realizing that baked goods would be a welcome addition to the menu, she began making cakes, quiches, and other goodies from family recipes to compliment the hand-crafted espresso and coffee drinks. “Our quiches are excellent,” her daughter and operations manager, Kelsie Burge added. “People come from all over the place for them.” (After tasting the ham and cheese and the vegetable ones, this writer could see why!)
Lisa and her daughter love the chance to work together every day. “There isn’t a day that I’m not excited to go to work,” Chambers grins, while looking at her daughter. “Yes, we are THE mother-daughter duo of coffee,” quipped Burge. On June 14, 2021, Gallery Row Coffee will be celebrating 17 years in Carrollton. Chambers and Burge hope to plan a celebration to make the anniversary special. Lisa recounts the story of how Gallery Row got its name nearly two decades ago: “Originally, there was an art gallery on Alabama Street. and another gallery on Bradley Street, and since the coffee shop was right between them, it was named Gallery Row Coffee! Soon after, Gallery Row partnered with the Carrollton Artist Guild to provide a space for the town’s many talented artists to display their works.” Gallery Row takes none of the profit–100% goes to the artist, which is not always the case with food venues and artists.
“We are part of the community here. We not only serve coffees and teas and pastries, we think of our customers as family. What benefits them, benefits us,” Burge emphasized. “During the height of the pandemic last year, many small businesses had to close up shop. Because of the loyalty and kindness of our customers, we made it through. We would not have wanted to face those challenges in any other place than Carrollton because of the community we are part of here.” The coffee shop offers hand-crafted espressos, whole-bean to freshly-ground coffee, thirty varieties of fine tea, lunch, and a myriad of made-from-scratch baked goods.
