From Oil to Coffee
Josh Blancas was born and raised in Texas, where he attended and graduated from Baylor University. After graduation, Blancas worked in the oil and gas industry for eight years. During this time, he thought about another product that many people depend on, coffee.
While still employed during the Covid-19 pandemic, Blancas envisioned a coffee shop that brings people together. He often mentioned the idea to friends, and they thought he was insane to consider opening a coffee shop in the middle of a pandemic.
In 2020, a friend informed him of a building he owned in Martinsville, VA. Blancas decided to visit the small city to check out at the space. After that visit, he decided to move his wife and two children to Martinsville and open “The Ground Floor in Martinsville.”
Although Blancas had never worked in nor operated a coffee shop, he took a chance even though a lack of practical experience, moving to a new state, and the pandemic would provide Blancas with a monumental challenge.
After relocating, Blancas developed a relationship with Michael Scales, a counselor with the Martinsville-Longwood Small Development Center (SBDC). Small Business Development Centers are SBA-backed to provide informational tools and direct support to help business start-ups and existing business expansion. Associated with Longwood University, the Martinsville SBDC offers assistance to help Virginians start and expand businesses and solve business-related problems. The Center assists small businesses throughout all phrases of growth and development by using one-on-one counseling and education.
Scales helped Blancas with his business plan and to build a network of people. With the assistance Scales provided, Blancas opened the coffee shop in May of 2021.
Blancas noted that opening the coffee shop was not just about the money but making a difference in the community. He started with six employees and now has 10 full & part-time employees. In addition, to starting the business and creating jobs, “The Ground Floor in Martinsville” is the living room of Martinsville.