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Conversation.
Community.
Custom Coffee.

We’re proud to offer a variety of delicious espresso and coffee drinks, plus all kinds of smoothies, ice cream and tasty, healthy, local food.
What makes us different, though, is how we promote community conversations in Mt. Gilead, N.C.

Community

Conversation

Custom Coffee

We’re Kyle and Myra Poplin, the owners of Speckled Paw Coffee, and we formerly published a monthly news magazine. We loved helping keep people informed and, especially, the community conversations that resulted from thoughtful news stories. We’ve seen how civilized discussion – as opposed to yelling and screaming on social media – can help bring a community together. What’s that got to do with a coffee shop? Read on…

You remember your cool hometown newspaper? Well, it’s gone … and it’s not coming back. (Curses to you, internet!) There’s a news void  in small towns that’s being filled in a variety of ways. One of those ways, we think, is the local coffee shop. Our coffee shops are not only places where news is discussed, but also where news is packaged for the entire community to read.  That’s what our newsletters are all about.

We like small towns. We like coffee shops. We think those two things blend quite well. Our goal is to provide great food and drink in a comfortable space with excellent service. We hooked up with the best coffee roaster (thanks, Cactus Creek) and bakers in the area. Our coffee and treats are definitely big-city quality. The trick is, we serve them with a small-town, down-home touch. Stop in and we’ll prove it.

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Master Gardener musings

I'm Mary Morley Poplin, the gardening enthusiast you might know from The Gathering Garden in our lovely town of Mt. Gilead, and I'm also a proud member of the Montgomery County Master Gardeners. I am so excited to begin Master Gardener Musings here in our local...

Sundry Center Chicken Salad

Time: 1/2 hourServes 6-82 cups cooked chicken, chopped3 stalks celery, chopped3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped1 cup sweet pickle salad cubes (or more to taste)1/2 cup mayonaise1/4 teaspoon paprikaSalt and pepper to taste Chop celery and eggs together. Drain pickle cubes....

A dry spring

John B. Marek is a storyteller with dirt under his nails who weaves tales inspired by a lifetime immersed in nature. His insightful essays and award-winning fiction delve into the complexities of sustainable living, the heart of rural communities and the thrill of...

Giving credit where credit is due – lest we forget

Montgomery County resident U.S. Army Lt. Col. (retired) Warren Switzer gave the following speech at Saturday's Memorial Day service in Mt. Gilead. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. About a month ago, Jim Kiser came and asked me if I would be willing to make ashort...

A load of mulch

John B. Marek is a storyteller with dirt under his nails who weaves tales inspired by a lifetime immersed in nature. His insightful essays and award-winning fiction delve into the complexities of sustainable living, the heart of rural communities and the thrill of...

Candy, Coca-Cola or ICEE? The evolution of after-school activities in Mt. Gilead. 

Here's the latest post by Alane Wilder Brown, who grew up in Mt. Gilead and worked at Wilder's, the quintessential corner store her father owned. In the photo, that's a young Phil Jones – now Dr. Phil Jones – working at Wilder's. As kids growing up in Mt. Gilead, many...

Hard reset

John B. Marek is a storyteller with dirt under his nails who weaves tales inspired by a lifetime immersed in nature. His insightful essays and award-winning fiction delve into the complexities of sustainable living, the heart of rural communities and the thrill of...

Is change coming to the mountain?

John B. Marek is a storyteller with dirt under his nails who weaves tales inspired by a lifetime immersed in nature. His insightful essays and award-winning fiction delve into the complexities of sustainable living, the heart of rural communities and the thrill of...

Pulling up on your bike

By Alane Wilder Brown Photo caption: Here's a picture of my bike. That’s Craig Jones (currently the mayor of Troy) cleaning off the snow with Amy Haithcock Morton and Garry Windley (Ruby Lake’s grandson) looking on.   A bicycle was the preferred mode of transportation...

How ’bout some love for classic rock?

John B. Marek is a storyteller with dirt under his nails who weaves tales inspired by a lifetime immersed in nature. His insightful essays and award-winning fiction delve into the complexities of sustainable living, the heart of rural communities and the thrill of...

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