BROOKHAVEN — People were waiting outside Vintage Style on Monticello Street in Downton Brookhaven 20 minutes before the doors were set to open on Girls Night Out Thursday afternoon. A new coffee shop and mercantile store, Vintage Style offers cold brews, hot lattes, pastries, vintage antiques and more.

Customers can relax in the parlor, add a prayer request or praise to a board or take advantage of the free wifi. Vintage Style removed the butcher paper from the windows to open up Thursday and embraced a rush of business. 

Owner Lavena McEwen and her employees were exhausted from their first day of business on Girls Night Out. Her voice was hoarse from a busy day but was happy to share her vision for the Vintage Style shop before a ribbon cutting Friday morning

“I have always been a vintage soul anyway. My grandmother and my grandfather taught me their values. This shop is to honor them and the people who want to hold on to the old way,” McEwen said. “‘Vintage Style’ just means that is what the whole atmosphere is. From the way we do business, how we dress and work. The mercantile brings back memories of the old days. I have always loved vintage and old times. I liked the bougie side more. I have always been fascinated with stuff like this.” 

A picture of her grandfather, a World War 2 veteran, hangs in the shop above a board for prayer requests and praises. 

Brookhaven Mayor Joe Cox said the building used to be a dress shop called Elite Shop before it became a fabric center. A dentist office used to be upstairs where a few apartments and a hair salon are now. Cox thanked them for investing in the old building, Printed Cotton Company was there before moving to a new location by Dirt Cheap. 

McEwan said they started to work on February 11 and over the course of four months they transformed the space. She painted a lady on the wall behind the coffee counter using pencil and watercolor. It took her two whole days. 

Everything on their menu has a backstory or special meaning to her. The Steamer Lattes stems from the Titanic which she has an interest in. Happy Juice was a drink she made for her daughter. It was a tonic to help sick stomachs and her kids loved it. It has ginger ale in it, she said. Each Cannonball drink is named after people who play in the worship band at her church.

The shop features her husband Jody’s South Coast Charters for saltwater fishing and refresher drinks. A studio space is set aside for her heirloom portraits. 

The shop is a place she feels could be a resting place for anyone from small kids to elderly men. Brookhaven’s business community was well represented in visiting the coffee shop for the ribbon cutting. 

“It does something for my heart to see everyone here,” McEwan said. “I love vintage things. I wanted people to enjoy what I got from my grandparents. I wanted to bring people back in time to remember, sit and enjoy. Forget everyday life for a little while. My crew is awesome and they have helped me. They picked it up fast yesterday and are wonderful. I want everyone to feel at home.” 

Garrick Combs, Executive Director of the Brookhaven Chamber of Commerce, thanked everyone for joining the day of celebration. He also thanked the McEwans for investing in a downtown space. 

“Downtown is what gives us our flavor and personality. We are always grateful for businesses and couples who invest money and call downtown home,” Combs said. “People who come here always remember our downtown. We are grateful we still have a beautiful downtown.” 

Vintage Style will have separate hours for the two parts of the business. The Mercantile will be open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will be closed Sunday to Monday.

The Coffee Shop will be open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on Sundays and Mondays.