Featured Image: Green Briar Coffee Co. in Martin, Tennessee, on Aug. 29, 2026. (Pacer Photo / Miranda Conrad)

On July 20, 2026, Vantage Coffee Roasters, a locally owned coffee shop in Martin, Tennessee, became Green Briar Coffee Co. under its new owner, local businessman Nassar Nassar, with plans to keep the same coffee with minimal changes to the business. 

Kevin and Stacie Herrell, the previous owners, opened Vantage Coffee Roasters in Martin, Tennessee, in 2021. Alongside this café, the couple also opened shops in other locations, including Higher Ground Coffee in Union City and Martin and another Vantage Coffee Roasters location in Union City. After only a few years in business, Nassar Nassar, wanting to start his first coffee business, bought the Vantage Coffee Roasters shop in Martin, while the Herrells retained their other locations. 

Local businesses are essential to the framework of any community. Changes to familiar businesses can bring about uncertainty for customers and instill doubt in the new business’s quality and commitment. However, employees of the new Green Briar Coffee Co. in Martin assure customers of their continual commitment to quality and tradition, following in the footsteps of the previous Vantage Coffee Roasters.  

Jeremiah Whiteman, a Martin local and the General Manager of Green Briar Coffee Co. with five years of experience in the coffee business, explains that the coffee, menu and prices will mostly remain the same with only a few new food additions. 

“In general, everything has stayed the same. There hasn’t been any kind of price increase or anything like that,” Whiteman said.  

Kevin and Stacie Herrell are still actively involved with the new café and help Green Briar Coffee Co. by supplying their coffee from their roasteries and warehouses in Union City. 

“We are actually still in good standing, thankfully, with Kevin and Stacie, who are the owners of Higher Ground and Vantage,” Whiteman said. 

In addition to the same drink and food options, all employees have also been retained, with only a few moving to other locations.  

“The employees that we weren’t able to retain for this shop were still retained through Vantage and Higher Ground. So, nobody was, thankfully, without a job,” Whiteman said. 

Assistant Manager Kamyrn Kirk, a Union City local who has been working at the coffee shop for almost a year explained that the working environment and equipment have all remained the same, which has allowed for a smoother transition. Kirk emphasized the local attitude that Green Briar is striving to maintain.  

“We’re trying to be more local and involved, so I think that will be really good for business because we weren’t really before the change,” Kirk said. 

Green Briar Coffee Co. desires to continue serving the community of Martin, hence the choice of their name. In the 1800s, the city of Martin was first named Greenbriar Glade.   

The main changes currently being made are generally cosmetic and intended to support the new rebranding of the shop; this includes repainting the mural on the exterior of the shop to reflect the new logo, repainting walls and replacing furniture. New televisions have also been added inside the shop.  

Although Vantage in Martin is no longer, frequent customers of the café and people in the community can expect the same high-quality coffee, food options and local atmosphere.

“We’re a local people that is still a local shop, and we’re here to serve the community,” said Whiteman.