Brothers Alan (left) and Eric Rice run a joint trading post and coffee shop on Jones Road.[/caption]

Brothers Eric and Alan Rice have lived and raised families in Cy-Fair, and both have found careers where they can connect with the community in different ways.

Eric has been a passionate coffee brewer for as long as Alan has been a homelessness activist. They each pursued their individual objectives for about 10 years, but came together under one roof on Jones Road in April 2014, which turned out to be mutually beneficial, Alan said.

"We bring each other customers," Alan said. "We have people come in for coffee who end up buying something from New Life and vice versa."

Offerings at New Life, which Alan describes as "upscale resale for less," include clothing, appliances, tools, furniture, electronics and decor items. All items in the store are donations from the community, Alan said. Money raised goes to Houston nonprofit Spirit Key to house people and fund programs at an on-site job office.

The Rice Brothers Coffee shop serves organic coffees along with specialty drinks, such as frappes, granitas and smoothies. The shop also added kombucha—a fermented tea drink—to its offerings in December and has plans to introduce organic smoothies this summer, Eric said.