Coffee, community, and kindness: China Spring woman’s café does it all

CHINA SPRING, Texas (KWTX) — “My go-to order is... I like a cold brew with some vanilla and just a little splash of cream in it,” said Hallie Bullard, standing behind the counter of her shop, Reign Coffee Company, in China Spring.

The physical therapist turned barista tells News 10 the business is about more than just her favorite iced beverage or hot cup of joe. It’s about community — something, she says, this town of roughly 5,900 needed after the COVID-19 pandemic left many feeling isolated.

“There’s just nowhere to meet family, friends, a place to get together,” she said. “And I told my husband, I said, you know, China Spring, it needs that. It deserves that.”

So she enrolled in the Texas Coffee School in Arlington, where she learned everything from bean roasting to business operations.

In 2023, her shop was born, along with her baby girl, whom she named the business after: Reign.

Two years later, the cozy coffee spot continues to serve the local community. Bullard has built a loyal following that fills the shop well before noon on a Thursday.

College students, real estate agents meeting with clients, old friends catching up, and families all stop in.

In addition to her coffee, teas and sweet bites, Bullard sells a variety of goods, including organic household, bath and body products from Texas-based vendors. Even the beans offer a taste of home.

And it’s not just for humans — four-legged friends can expect a treat too.

But more than the drinks and the merchandise, Bullard and her staff offer something else: kindness.

That, she says, might just be the secret ingredient.

She praises her team, who also contribute to the menu with their own caffeinated creations, but says it’s the people who keep her going.

“As long as people come in, they feel welcomed, they feel like they belong somewhere,” she said. “We’re extending kindness to them.”

Refilling their cup, and as the shop’s front window says, “refueling” their kindness.

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