A new coffee shop, wine bar and bottle shop opened in the former Violet Crown Clubhouse space May 6.
Meet the owners
The Violet Crown is owned by married couple and business partners Chris Nagelhout and Grant Richardson.
The coffee shop and wine bar marks the couple’s first hospitality project. Richardson is switching from his career at the natural wine importer and distributor Pangea Selections, and Nagelhout is co-owner at organic produce and tilapia farm Crisp Farms.
What’s on the menu
The Violet Crown serves specialty coffee in the morning and natural wines—which the couple describes as wine produced without using manipulative farming and cellaring practices—in the evening. The shop also serves pastries from Texas French Bread, kolaches from Kerlaches and donuts from Andy K's.
Quote of note: “We want our guests to be able to enjoy beverages that have a connection to a specific place and respect the people and environment they come from,” Richardson said in a news release. “Most important though, this is a space for the neighborhood. If you want to geek out over natural wine or just have a glass of chardonnay, we want everyone to feel welcomed at The Violet Crown.”
What’s in a name
Nagelhout and Richardson named the shop The Violet Crown out of respect for the previous occupants of the space, Violet Crown Clubhouse—a kid-friendly hangout that shuttered in January.
The wine bar’s flying pig mascot pays tribute to a real pig named Domino that escaped from the Violet Crown Festival two decades ago and is still believed to roam around the neighborhood, the couple said in a news release.
The Violet Crown is located at 7100 Woodrow Ave., Austin.
