Cups' New Design Reflects Oxford Community With Rustic Flair

By Jim Roberts
hottytoddy.com freelancer
Bryan Spillman, a self-taught carpenter, walks in the shoes of his Master… sort of.
Spillman was a leader in the Young Life Christian youth movement in Chattanooga for 10 years before moving to Oxford to continue his ministry with the organization here. He and his wife Camille purchased Cups on West Jackson this January and, over spring break, completely changed the décor with a rustic motif. What makes the Cups landscape distinctive is the beautiful honeycomb handmade wood design of the bar made from repurposed woods.

“Before we moved to Oxford I took a break and learned some carpentry skills by building a treehouse,” he said. “So when we purchased the Cups franchise, I wanted to give the coffee shop a distinctive Oxford flavor.”
He and his wife came up with the honeycomb design idea and Bryan went about cutting pieces of wood from old pallets he brought from Chattanooga, as well as timbers and flooring from an old house a friend was renovating.
“Before building the treehouse I knew nothing about construction, but I learned a lot in that experience,” he said.
The honeycomb décor of the bar reflects many different pieces of wood, types of wood, and repurposed lumber from a number of sources. The tables, display case and doors in the rear, are all made of repurposed wood and add different colors to the blue walls.
Now that Cups is up and running, the young couple is working on a second coffee shop that will be located next to Grit in Taylor.
“This coffee shop will be called Lost Dog Coffee—a name suggested by our landlord, Campbell McCool,” Spillman said.
As area director for Young Life, Spillman oversees an extensive independent Christian youth program. He is quick to point out he is a Christian devoted to Jesus, who was also a carpenter.

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