Our Origin Story

Before December 2016, Jackson was a sleepy Missouri town, emphasis on the sleepy, as in severely, almost criminally, under caffeinated.

Enter Bob and Serena Schooley. After renovating two buildings on East Adams, they started searching for someone to fill the coffee shop void. Impressed with what they’d heard about Parengo Coffee in nearby Sikeston, they got in touch with Colby and Larry Williams to see if they’d be interested in expanding into the Jackson market. Unfortunately the timing didn’t work out, but a new friendship and coffee connection was made.

Meanwhile, construction of the nearby roundabout moved forward. People came from far and wide, brought their children, dogs, and picnic baskets to admire the construction of a modern marvel. Just kidding! They yelled through their windshields, wanting to just get to “the [redacted] Post Office!” as they were detoured onto East Adams. But then their gaze landed on two rather attractive buildings they’d never noticed before, and Bob and Serena noticed their noticing. The idea that they could open a coffee shop themselves began to percolate—Serena had years of restaurant industry experience and they already had the building. So they thought, “Why not?”

Minds made up, Bob and Serena reached back out to Colby with Parengo Coffee, and he agreed to be their coffee professor and mentor. With a portafilter in one hand and a demitasse cup in the other, the Schooleys got to work. Imagine your own Rocky-esque training montage here—think lifting 50 pound bags of beans, stopwatch-timed milk steaming, latte art push-ups, and Colby with a clipboard shaking his head, just to get you started. Armed with a new coffee lexicon and the secrets to a great cup of coffee, and with a nod to the construction project inspiration, the Ground-A-Bout was officially born.

When the Ground-A-Bout opened on December 9, 2016, Jackson came out to support the shop in droves, with lines stretching out the front door. Since then, the shop has cultivated a loyal, enthusiastic customer base that continues to grow every day. Many have come to call the shop a second home, and now that the town is fully caffeinated, who knows what they’ll be capable of next. (If you see Serena flying over High Street in an Iron Man suit at some point, don’t say you weren’t forewarned.)

In 2018, the Ground-A-Bout took another big step by acquiring Parengo Coffee in order to offer in-house roasted beans. That means your next cup of coffee will be so fresh that you’ll be able to smell the beans roasting as you come in the door. And new menu offerings and roasts are just around the corner, so there’s always a reason to come back for a second cup.