This weekend as usual I was working but I knew Charlie wanted to run errands so I was hurrying to get the things I needed done. While working my sister texted to see if I wanted to go to a local vendor event with her since we hadn’t done anything together in a while. I told her I couldn’t because I had plans with Charlie.
The more I tried to work the more I could hear the disappointment in my sister’s voice. I went and asked Charlie if he wanted to go and run the errands we had talked about and he said no, he would wait until Monday when he would be off. My sister was downstairs visiting Gerald. I went down and asked her what time the event she had mentioned closed.
She said one so we still had time to get there. I asked her if she still wanted to go and she did. We asked Gerald if he wanted to go with us but he didn’t want to. We headed out and got to the even but most of the vendors had closed up and gone home early which was crazy as they were missing out on sales.
We walked back to the car and Debbie mentioned we still needed to check out Clove Coffee Shop since I didn’t have anything to do we decided to go check them out. I like how they are more than just Coffee & Tea they are creating a place where community matters and that is something I like to do as well with my site.
Walking into the Coffee Shop was a vendor selling her handmade items which I would have liked to look at but I had to hurry because I had to get back home to get Charlie up for work. If you haven’t been to Clove Coffee Shop I wanted to let you know sometimes you walk into a little coffee shop expecting a cup of coffee and a bite to eat, and you walk out with something more.
That is what happened when my sister and I stopped at The Clove Cafe in Hurst, Texas. We were looking for a quick snack but I will be back to sit down, and enjoy something together, when I have a little extra time and Debbie or David is off. This is a cozy little cafe that reminded me that sometimes the smallest places can make the biggest impression.
The Clove Cafe is located at 73 Melbourne Road in Hurst, Texas, near the North East Mall area. It is smaller than the big coffee chains, but that is part of what I liked about it. It felt cozy. It felt comfortable. And most importantly, it felt like people actually wanted to be there. I felt right at home as soon as I walked through the door.
There were people working on their computers, visiting with friends, enjoying their drinks, and spending time together. There were board games available to play, and if you’re having tea, you can even choose a teacup to use. Those little touches make a difference and they would have been something I would have liked to share with Suzzane.
This didn’t feel like a place where you simply grab your drink and hurry back to the car. It felt like a place where you could stay awhile. One of the things that immediately stood out to me was the selection of gluten-free baked goods. My sister needs gluten-free options, and I love that The Clove Cafe makes it possible for us to enjoy dessert together.
That may sound like a small thing to some people, but if you have dietary restrictions—or love someone who does—you know it isn’t always that simple. Sometimes one person gets to enjoy the pastry while the other has to sit and watch. At The Clove, there are choices. And we shared a banana nut muffin. Let me tell you—it was really good.
The Clove Cafe makes its baked goods from scratch in-house, and they offer both regular and gluten-free options. But after learning more about the story behind The Clove, I realized the gluten-free choices aren’t simply another item on the menu. They are part of the heart behind this business and this is why I wanted to feature them and make sure other know about them.
The Clove Cafe began with a dream that was much bigger than coffee. The woman behind The Clove Cafe which is women-owned had spent more than ten years working in food management and had always loved the hospitality side of the coffee industry. What she loved about coffee shops wasn’t simply making coffee. It was the people.
You see the same customers again and again. You remember their favorite drinks. You learn their personalities. You notice their celebrations and sometimes recognize when they’re having a difficult day. You get to know people. That connection became an important part of the dream for The Clove Cafe.
The vision was to create a coffee shop and cafe that could also become a safe, welcoming space where people could connect and where mental health could be discussed in healthy ways. Which is a godsend for my family with Charlie struggling with his health. The story behind that dream is deeply personal and touched my family a lot.
Growing up with food insecurity and difficult circumstances, the owner knew what it felt like to need a safe place and not have one. She also experienced her own struggles with mental health. Rather than allowing those experiences to define the rest of her life, she used them to help shape the kind of place she wanted to create for others.
A place where people could come in. A place where people could feel welcome. A place where people could talk. A place where people could simply sit and breathe for a while. A place where people could know: You Matter. That is part of The Clove Cafe’s mission and it is what I tell Charlie each and ever day. You Matter.
The commitment to gluten-free baking also comes from personal experience. The owner eventually discovered that she needed to follow a gluten-free diet after years of dealing with food-related health issues. She knew what it felt like to walk into a restaurant or bakery and find only one gluten-free choice—or to worry about whether that choice was actually safe.
So when she began baking, she wanted to do something different. She wanted people who needed gluten-free food to have options. Not just one option. Not something that made them feel like an inconvenience. Options. I can tell you from experience this is how my sister felt as well because more times than not she can’t go out to eat with us because there wouldn’t be anything she could eat.
The Clove Cafe began as a home-based cottage bakery, where biscuits, muffins, scones, and other baked goods were made in regular and gluten-free versions. Even then, great care was taken to keep the preparation areas and equipment separated as much as possible. Eventually, the cottage bakery grew beyond what could be handled from home and at local farmers markets.
The dream grew, too. In late 2024, an opportunity came along to turn that dream into a brick-and-mortar location. The Clove Cafe held its soft opening in January 2025 and celebrated its grand opening in February 2025. And today, that little dream has become a cozy coffee shop, tea house, bakery, cafe, and community gathering place. I just wish I had found them sooner.
The Clove Cafe serves locally roasted coffee, hand-blended teas, matcha, and freshly baked goods. They offer regular and gluten-free baked goods, with separate preparation areas and equipment for the gluten-free baking. There are also seasonal flavors and specialty drinks that change throughout the year.
And then there are the things I haven’t tried yet. Hand pies. I’ve never had one from The Clove, but now that I know they make them, I think David and I may have to make a return visit and try one together because I’ve never had a Hand Pie and Charlie hasn’t either and as for David I don’t think he has but I’m not sure once I find out I will let you know.
There is another thing I like about The Clove. It feels like a place where you can make plans. Meet your sister. Meet a friend. Take your husband or your children. Bring your laptop. Play a board game. Read a book. Enjoy a cup of tea. Or just sit for a little while. For me it would be a place I could escape to and spend time with myself and not be bothered.
There was another part of my visit that really stood out to me. Outside The Clove Cafe, there was a little vendor pop-up market. And those vendors are important. They are people with their own small businesses, crafts, products, dreams, and stories. When we went Rain, was there with her crochet items.
Seeing her crochet work immediately reminded me of my Grandma Dorie and even my dad’s mom Irene and them teaching me to crochet. So what started as a visit to a coffee shop suddenly became a memory of my grandmother’s. That is one of the reasons I love discovering local businesses. You never know what story you’re going to find.
But The Clove’s support of local vendors goes even deeper. When Painted Tree, a local vendor space in the North Richland Hills area, closed, The Clove Cafe opened its space to vendors who needed another place to showcase their businesses. Think about that for a minute. One local business closed its doors. Another local business said, “Come on in.” That is community. And that is exactly the kind of small-business support I believe in.
When I learned that The Clove was making room for vendors, I wanted to help, too. I offered to share the businesses and vendors through my blog because I believe something very strongly: We can only grow if we reach out and help each other, one step at a time. Small businesses don’t always have huge advertising budgets. They don’t always have a giant marketing department.
Sometimes they have a dream, a product they love, a table at a vendor market, a handful of customers, and a whole lot of faith that the next person who walks through the door might become a customer. That is where community matters. Sometimes supporting a small business means buying a muffin.
Sometimes it means ordering a cup of coffee. Sometimes it means telling a friend or family member about them. Sometimes it means sharing a post. Sometimes it means introducing someone to a business they didn’t know existed. And sometimes it means simply saying: “I see what you’re doing, and I want other people to see it, too.” That is what I want Greatful Moments to do.
The Clove Cafe is women-owned and has a team of women helping create the personal atmosphere customers experience when they walk through the door. But I think there is something even bigger happening here. The Clove isn’t simply building its own business. It is making room for other people to build theirs. That matters.
Because when we support one another, we aren’t taking something away from our own success. We are helping create more opportunities for everyone. A coffee shop can be a coffee shop. But it can also be a place where a crafter finds a customer. A baker gets discovered. A local author meets a reader.
A gluten-free customer finds a place where she can actually choose dessert. A teacher gets a little appreciation. A couple gets to try a hand pie together. Two sisters enjoy a muffin. And someone who needs a safe place can walk through the door and hear a message that may mean more than anyone realizes: You Matter.
If you’re a teacher or school staff member, The Clove Cafe is also showing some appreciation as everyone heads back to school. From August 8 through August 16, teachers and school staff can receive 10% off with a school ID. I love seeing small businesses recognize the people in their communities. And with school starting back up, this is a nice little way to say thank you.
The Clove Cafe is located at:
73 Melbourne Road
Hurst, Texas 76053
Their current hours are:
Monday–Thursday: 6:30 AM–6:30 PM
Friday–Sunday: 6:30 AM–8:00 PM
They offer locally roasted coffee, hand-blended teas, matcha, freshly baked goods, regular and gluten-free options, and small eats.
Before heading over, I recommend checking their website or social media for current specials, seasonal offerings, vendor events, and updates. My sister and I went to The Clove Cafe for a little coffee-shop visit. I left with much more than a banana nut muffin. I left with a new local business to tell you about.
I left with a reminder of Grandma Dorie when I saw Rain’s crochet work. I left knowing my sister had a place where she could enjoy dessert with me instead of having to settle for whatever gluten-free option happened to be available. And I left thinking about something I believe in more and more every day: Small businesses need one another.
Customers need to know where the small businesses are. Small businesses need people willing to tell their stories. And communities grow when we stop thinking only about what we can get and start thinking about what we can give. The Clove Cafe has created a cozy place where people can drink coffee, enjoy tea, eat something delicious, play a game, work on their computer, meet a friend, discover a vendor, or simply sit for a while.
But to me, The Clove is also an example of something bigger. It is an example of what can happen when someone takes a dream born from difficult circumstances and turns it into a place where other people can feel welcome. It is an example of what happens when one business opens its doors to another. And it is a reminder that sometimes community doesn’t require a grand gesture.
Sometimes it starts with a muffin. A cup of coffee. A teacup. A vendor table. A shared story. One person helping another. One step at a time. And that is exactly the kind of story I want to share here at Greatful Moments. Because when we reach out, support one another, and share the stories of the people working hard in our communities, we aren’t just promoting businesses. We’re helping our community grow.
Grateful, Thankful, Blessed
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates