In It For The Long Haul: Red Tree Coffee

Posted by kingstonsprings on May 27, 2010 · 5 Comments 

Sisters Amy Bruce and Katie Conley, owners of Red Tree Coffee in downtown Kingston Springs, Tennessee

Many in South Cheatham County have come to know Red Tree Coffee owners and sisters Amy Bruce and Katie Conley as leaders in the grassroots volunteer flood relief and recovery movement.

Prior to the epic rains of early May, resulting in what some are calling the 1,000 year flood, they were small business owners who had reached a watershed of their own.

“We opened in 2008,” said Amy. “All the studies say if your business can make it two years, it’s like a turning point. We were just on the verge of making money.”

Then the rain began to fall, and their “business” became one even more familiar to them; helping others.

The Little Harpeth River which typically runs two to four feet through Burns Park in Kingston Springs rose to 40 feet. It topped a civil war-era railroad bridge which usually stands stories above the gently moving water.

The once meandering creeks and tributaries which run throughout this quiet bedroom community of Nashville, became raging rivers which swept full houses away and submerged Kingston Springs Elementary School in over six feet of water.

KSES was submerged and severely damaged during the May 2010 flood. Everything inside the school was destroyed.

“We were a little island here,” Amy said about Red Tree coffee located in historic downtown Kingston Springs. “We never lost power.”

“At first we couldn’t get from our house to the coffee shop because the little runoff creek where we live was up over the road,” said Bruce.

“By that Monday, May 03, people were just kind of walking around downtown, looking at the river, asking if anyone had phones or had heard from so-and-so.” Amy said.

"By that Monday (May 03), everyone was just walking around downtown, looking at the river..." Amy Bruce

“About 25 people hung out at the shop that day,” Bruce added.

“My first thought was, ‘We need to find out if anybody is stuck’,” she said.

“Katie and I were just kind of sitting in the shop looking at each other like ‘this is what we’re here to do’,” Bruce continued.

Amy and Katie are singers by trade. Their husbands, Cole Bruce and Jon Conley are professional musicians & singers who play in the band, Calico Trail.

The sisters are originally from Arkansas.

“We have the background for helping others from our upbringing, our faith, and mission trips. We are not held back by timidity or lack of confidence. We’re able to just charge in and say ‘Let’s do it!’. You know how sisters can kind of talk to each other without talking? I just said ‘I’ll send out an email’, and Katie knew what I meant.

On the morning of Tuesday, May 04, Amy sent out an email which said (in part) “Be at Red Tree in two hours.” Over 100 people showed up. “We have about 200 people on our Red Tree mailing list, and over 1,500 friends on Facebook.”

Friends and neighbors meet at Red Tree Coffee in downtown Kingston Springs for the first of many volunteer meetings following the flood.

Friends and neighbors who had power to receive the message and were able to make it to the coffee shop came in droves. They immediately mobilized and broke off into committees. Volunteers stepped up to lead various arms of the grassroots movement including: food, rescue, traffic control, demolition, supplies, communications, and relief.

Kingston Springs United Methodist church (located across the street from Red Tree Coffee in downtown Kingston Springs) flung open their doors and the first meals were gathered and served that night.

During the early days of the flood, downtown Kingston Springs remained separated from other areas of South Cheatham County including several areas of Kingston Springs itself. A relief center was being created at Harpeth Middle School but no one on the downtown side could reach it until the waters receded.

Red Tree Coffee became command central for the volunteer movement.

“At first we were just trying to reach everyone,” said Bruce. “We were sending out volunteers by that Tuesday. We had about 45 people out there by Wednesday afternoon.”

Bruce and Conley, aided by their good friend Melody Burr, quickly organized a community-wide work day for that coming Saturday, May 08.

“Melody knows we are gifted leaders and doers…” said Amy of herself and her sister Katie, “…but not necessarily gifted organizational people. I write notes on little tiny pieces of paper. Melody would gather up my little pieces of paper and put them all on one list.”

Saturday, May 08 Kingston Springs was inundated with volunteers. Red Tree Coffee alone registered 370 volunteers, some who came from as far as Georgia, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and even Michigan. In addition, at least 70 resident volunteers were working other hubs of the volunteer movement from KSUMC to the relief center at Harpeth Middle School where The Ark Community Resource Center temporarily moved its operations to lead in the relief and recovery movement. Plus many volunteers answered the call to work in South Cheatham County without registering anywhere.

“We had t-shirts made up that said ‘Kingston Springs Volunteer Corps’. The Goal Post in Dickson gave us a really great deal. We ordered 350 for that Saturday and were sold out by the afternoon,” said Amy.

Amy Bruce's husband, Cole Bruce, getting his Kingston Springs Volunteer Corps shirt dirty helping others.

Red Tree Coffee organized another community-wide work day for the following Saturday, May 15. They ordered more t-shirts, and again, hundreds of volunteers flooded into Kingston Springs.

Every day following the flood, Red Tree Coffee continues to collect needs and deploy volunteer workers to those who need help.

“The main thing to remember is these people are just as homeless now as they were over three weeks ago. Just because it’s dry and the waters have receded doesn’t mean they’re not homeless. I remind myself of that consciously every day. As our lives begin to slow down, we need to remember these people and continue to help them. We can’t just go in there, help them tear their walls down, and then not be there to help them long-term, ” said Amy.

Volunteer workers help tear out sheet rock, insulation, and flooring at the Runyeon home on Dog Creek.

Red Tree Coffee wants their community to know they are truly in it for the long haul. “There is a need being presented by people who initially turned down volunteer help,” said Amy. “These are strong independent people who have reached their threshold. They’ve been working hard but now they’re at the end of their rope. Obviously, the volunteer movement has changed since the beginning based on the nature of the work. In many cases, professionals are needed to help rebuild. We’re in the process of assembling teams of professionals who do this kind of rebuilding for a living and are willing to donate their time to help others,” said Amy.

So how did these singing sisters from Arkansas end up in Kingston Springs, why did they open a coffee shop, and what is the significance of its name?

“We grew up in the country in Northwestern Arkansas,” said Amy. “Where we grew up there were lots of rivers and streams. I love the river. We wanted to be on the west side of Nashville so we didn’t have to drive through the city to get to Arkansas. And we just felt at home here,” she said.

As to why they opened Red Tree Coffee, “We lived here 12 years and always wanted a coffee shop in town. We figured maybe other people did, too. Plus we had all been traveling musicians. Katie just had a baby (Polly, who is now nearly 4 years-old) and she was looking for a way to settle down and a job where she could bring her daughter. I had just gotten married. We were looking to get off the road and create something with some stability,” said Amy.

What is the significance of Red Tree? “We grew up with a yard full of sugar maple trees. They would turn fire red in the fall. We were trying to think of a strong visual image that would be recognizable even without the words ‘red tree’,” said Amy.

"We wanted a strong visual image that would be recognizable even without the words 'red tree'" -Amy Bruce

As for how the coffee business is going after the flood, Amy says “Honestly, I haven’t had the time to put a pencil to it. We’ve had more traffic in the shop; more activity. But I don’t know if our business has increased.”

Amy Bruce works together with Ark director Missy Bolt to try to find a bed for a family who lost their home in the flood. Art by Robert Langford adorns one wall of Red Tree Coffee. Langford also designed the Red Tree logo.

Red Tree hours of operation are:

Monday – Thursday 7AM – 5PM

Friday 7AM – 9:30PM

Saturday 8AM – 1 PM

Closed on Sunday

Menu and details on live music at Red Tree Coffee to follow.

"Love One Another", a simple message from Red Tree Coffee

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Filed under Featured, History Project, How to Get Help, Local Stories, Long Term Recovery, Rebuilding, Volunteer opportunities