Meet Concetta & Chloe West | Cafe Owners, Artisan Ice Cream Makers, Dreamers

We had the good fortune of connecting with Concetta & Chloe West and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Concetta & Chloe, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
So many factors played into our thought process behind starting her own business..

Having both left careers; myself as a level, one trauma, nurse, downtown Seattle and Chloe as a stylist at a high end salon in a suburb of Seattle, we took a leap of faith uprooted our families and moved from Washington state to Tennessee in May 2021.

In doing so, the one thing we noticed was that there was a lack of places for people to sit and connect in our community.. With us not knowing anybody when we first got here, we realized quickly two things… Number one, that we both would be missing our daily interaction with coworkers and the public and two we had no way of really getting to know members of our NEW community and being involved on a local level if we didn’t do something that involved interaction with the public.

Our vision was to create for our customers a “third space“. A comfortable place that would serve as an extension of their home environment where they can feel comfortable and relaxed.. We could see a distinct need in our new community for people to connect with others, study or work on projects, meet with associates, surf the web or work on their computers etc…

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
In business, the things you think you need to know or do and what you actually need to know or do are sometimes quite different.

If I could give advice to someone thinking about starting their own Café, Ice Creamery, Mercantile similar to The Local Place. I would say it may not be easy but it will be worth it. Make sure you have a CLEAR vision (one you can still see even when you close your eyes). Set short and long term goals both personally and professionally and most of all enjoy the journey.

As a mother daughter team, we really know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. This allows us to each take on the roles we are best suited for.. Both Chloe and I (concetta) are perfectionists. In many ways we are like minded and in other ways we are VERY different. Celebrate differences that’s what gives life balance.

We really didn’t know how to run a restaurant when we started this journey. We knew how to do espresso and customer service and teamwork, but we didn’t know how to make homemade ice cream on a large scale or how create a menu from some of our favorite family recipes.
Nevertheless, we set out on a journey to teach ourselves what we needed to learn. On the way, we discovered that in business, the only thing that’s constant is change and learning.

For the past two years, it’s been our community customers, friends and family that have sustained us and helped us continue dreaming.

The stairs in our dining room have a quote written on them which serves as a daily reminder; to more than just us, to keep going despite the bumps in the road.
It says “there is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs.“ We don’t know who originally said that, but it’s definitely true.

Daily it takes putting one foot in front of the other, even when it’s hard to stand. There really isn’t one thing that makes or breaks any of us, It’s a lot of little things that make up the big things. We believe in uplifting others and helping them succeed and by doing so, we ourselves are uplifted.

The Local Place has fostered in us and our employees a love for community and a commitment to supporting all things LOCAL!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Having moved from Washington state to Tennessee we’ve hosted a lot of friends and family since our BIG move three years ago.

When we have guests we like to first focus on Hickman County and why we love it so much here. Hickman County has a few BIG events throughout the year. In May the town Square is bustling with a huge craft Fair, Memorial day activities in the park,, In June it’s the Ag and Arts Tour,, July the town puts on a spectacular Fourth of July fireworks display. In the fall, The National Banana Pudding Festival, Back To The Land Festival tie main stage. And we can’t forget the Halloween parade on the Saturday before Halloween with constumes, candy, floats and thousands of people in attendance; All of this taking place on our lil ol’ town square. There is so much to do just in the month of October, we always encourage our friends to come then because the leaves on the trees are turning bright colors for fall..

Depending on when they’re here, we want them to see everything “Our neck of the woods” has to offer and attempt to convince them they should move here too.

(Of course we’re going to take them to the LOCAL place Café where we give them access to fresh baked sweets, endless tastings of homemade ice cream, our signature Waffle and Panini sandwiches with fresh salads and homemade soup… It’s my way of cooking a meal for them without having to actually cook the meal for them… (Lol)

All kidding aside, our county is filled with so much natural beauty we would be doing it a great disservice if we didn’t take them down to the Duck River, nearby waterfalls or local caves to explore. There is always a lot to do nearby. We always go to the local Farmers Market, Storytellers Hideaway Farm and Museum, Centerville Market Place, and out to eat at our friends and mentors restaurants. When it comes to adult activities, Grinders Switch and Horseshoe Bend Wineries are always at the top of the list, They often have events going on over the weekends, which include live music, craft vendors and food trucks…

When we finally exhaust all our community resources for fun and entertainment, we set out to explore the historic sites of Bell Meade, the battlefields around Franklin, Cheekwood, and of course, no visit would be complete without at least an evening spent on Broadway in downtown Nashville.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shout out to our spouses who support our business by believing in us, showing up both physically and emotionally when things go wrong, for loving and helping us build and grow this dream.. .

Special thanks to our fellow Centerville restaurant owners, Troy & Kim Bates (Fish Camp) Devin Pickard “the Pit-master Preacher” and Brenda Brock (Hickman County Economic Development) for coming alongside us since the very beginning. We are indebted to them for mentoring and helping us navigate the new (to us) and scary world of business ownership. They exemplify what it means to uplift others..

Last, but not least, we would be nothing without our customers and dedicated staff; many of whom have become our friends and adopted family. You help us see our vision come to life everyday.

Website: https://Thelocalplace-tn.com

Instagram: @thelocalplace.tn

Facebook: @thelocalplace.tn

Yelp: @thelocalplace.tn

Other: Instagram @thelocalplace.tn

Image Credits
Gabrielle Hundley