Cup A Joe coffeehouse, located in the Timberlyne Shopping Center, has changed its signage this week and will be undergoing interior renovations this summer emerging as Joe Van Gogh!

As many regular customers already know, master roaster and owner Robbie Roberts has always roasted the seventeen-year-old store's coffee. Some even remember Roberts standing in the front window of the shop minding the roaster and then running to the bar to make a cappuccino. However, as the wholesale side of the business grew, Roberts knew a separate roastery was needed, and he took the roasting operation out of Cup A Joe in 2004.

He named the new venture Joe Van Gogh, from a song by the singer-songwriter Dan Bern, and by 2007 he opened a coffeehouse under the new Joe Van Gogh name on Broad Street in Durham. The two coffeehouses have run along as siblings ever since, picking up two more Joe Van Gogh locations at Duke University and University Mall.

But now that Cup A Joe needs an update, the transition to Joe Van Gogh in Chapel Hill is a logical progression. The change should also help to minimize customer confusion with the other Cup A Joe coffeehouses in the Triangle, which Roberts helped to start but with which he has not been affiliated for many years. Of course, the coffee isn't changing, and it will continue to be roasted in small batches under Roberts' supervision, just as it has been since the store opened in 1995.

Renovation of the Timberlyne location will occur this summer. Customers will find a new bar layout, additional seating, and a new coffee bean display. Keep up to date with our progress through our photo gallery!