How Owners of The Violet Crown Created a Chic Neighborhood Hangout for Coffee, Wine and Community Connections
Nestled in the Crestivew area of Austin, The Violet Crown Coffee Shop & Wine Bar provides an elevated yet approachable space for sips and bites
In May 2023, husbands Chris Nagelhout and Grant Richardson realized their retirement dreams very early by opening The Violet Crown Wine Bar & Coffee Shop as young professionals. With a sustainably sourced natural wine selection, organic coffee menu, and colorful and contemporary space, their wine bar and coffee shop fulfilled their aspiration to create a chic, ethical and approachable “third space” for the neighborhood.
The couple was first introduced 12 years ago at a bar through a friend, and since that initial meeting, they’ve made numerous impressive achievements together. In October, they’ll celebrate nine years married, and as a household, they run three different businesses. They are also parents to their 3-year-old daughter, a responsibility that they claim to be the least taxing.
Since 2017, Nagelhout has run an organic farm called Crisp Farms alongside his father. Located in Bastrop County, the aquaponic farm produces vegetables and tilapia to distribute among different Texas restaurants and grocery stores Richardson, who has a background as an environmental engineer, previously worked for Nagelhout and helped him establish their environmentally conscious, cyclical fertilization process. This experience gave Richardson his first taste of entrepreneurship and a desire to leave the corporate world.
Richardson eventually started his own wholesale wine business, Pangea Selections, where he merged his passion for natural wine with his penchant for sustainability within agricultural production. He acknowledges that natural wine is a somewhat nebulous term, but defines it as meaning that the beverage is produced without additives. It’s not a flavor profile, but rather a mode of production.
The pair live in Crestview, a charming and family-friendly neighborhood just five blocks away from Violet Crown. Nagelhout grew up in the area and has lived in their current home for more than a decade. For years, the couple thought the little strip of Crestview Shopping Center would be an ideal spot for a wine bar, oyster bar, coffee shop or something similar. As their desire to jump into the hospitality realm grew, they were eventually connected with the owners of the Violet Crown Clubhouse just as they were preparing to close. Thanks to fortuitous timing, the location fell into their laps.
“It was a friendly passing on of a business, not a takeover,” explains Richardson. “I think the previous owners understood that we were going to be very intentional about keeping the community space aspect of what they were doing.”
When it came to deciding on a concept, the duo knew they wanted to function with an ethos of sustainability, elegance and neighborliness. Richardson’s wine business felt adjacent to hospitality and naturally informed their decision to sell wine. Additionally, selling coffee fit their vision and offered the opportunity to remain open in the daytime. As part of their mission, they source coffee from small artisanal producers that support livable wages for their employees and do so in a manner that is beneficial to the planet.
“We’d love to open restaurants and have a small boutique hotel,” says Nagelhout. “There’s a lot of little things we want to dabble in, and having those dreams right there, we thought, ‘Why not just get it done? Let’s rip the bandaid off and see if this can be the launch pad for other things that we do.’”
Wine-focused bars can often be considered snobby, but the duo didn’t venture to create an exclusive space. Instead, they continuously use the word “nerdy” to describe their fascination with wine, and welcome customers of all ages and interest levels.
“We don’t want anyone to feel like they have to earn our hospitality,” says Richardson. “We want to meet customers where they are, and if they want to come in for just a glass of wine that they don’t have to think about, that’s great.”
Violet Crown is meant to be a gift to nearby residents, sharing an aura of homeyness while also giving a destination to visit for other locals. The name, taken from their predecessors, comes from an homage to a 19th-century poem written by an Austinite to pay tribute to the city’s beautiful sunset. Crestview’s original neighborhood name was Violet Crown Heights, so the duo chose to keep that name to carry on a certain familiarity. The logo also features Domino, a pig who escaped from a petting zoo at the annual Violet Crown Festival and was never found, as a tribute to that beloved neighborhood lore.
A self-funded project, the couple designed and built the cozy and sophisticated space on their own. Muted dark green tones on the walls and tiles are complemented by wooden benches, brown leather seats, and pops of color in hammock-esque orange chairs. Alongside the more luxurious look are books, cards and Bananagrams for entertainment. Elevated and still informal, the space is conducive for lounging, working or enjoying a nightcap.
Owning and directing a business with your spouse is certain to have its difficulties, but Nagelhout and Richardson have managed to maintain a harmonious work and personal life. They speak honestly and playfully about their different characteristics and the ways that influence how they run their business.
“Chris is a control-driven creative and I am a delegating operational person,” explains Richardson.
“We’ve learned to lean into the other for where we know our weaknesses are,” adds Nagelhout. “We’ve found that if we work on an equal playing field, it works really well.”
After celebrating The Violet Crown’s first anniversary in business, the couple is energetic about bringing their concepts to life, as they’re fueled by the beauty of being one’s own boss and concocting an idea out of thin air and making it come true.
“We wanted Violet Crown to be a community hub for this neighborhood we live in,” says Nagelhout.
“We joke that we built it for ourselves,” adds Richardon.
View menus, learn about upcoming events, and more at thevioletcrownatx.com.