It was around a year ago when Shepherd Tharp made one of his regular stops to grab a coffee from the shop where he landed his first job, Abbey’s Coffee in Frisco.

His family has longstanding ties to the establishment. His grandfather, Vince Tharp, was the veterinarian for the shop’s namesake, Abbey, which was the owner’s dog. Two of his younger siblings also landed their first jobs at the shop.

When checking in and chatting with the owners, Suzie and Dave VerSchure, Shepherd casually mentioned that he would be willing to buy Abbey’s Coffee when the time came to sell. He didn’t think much of throwing this offer on the table and figured it could be years before they took him up on it.

He was surprised two days later when Suzie called him and said the place was his if he wanted it.

On March 29, the 21-year-old became a part owner of Abbey’s Coffee. His 19-year-old brother, Silas, decided to leave his career in property management to become a business partner and co-owner.

Shepherd and Silas said it took a nine-month process before they were passed the baton from the VerSchures. The two said financing the purchase, at first, seemed like it was going to be a lengthy battle.

“We were 18 and 20 at the time. Banks don’t want to lend that kind of money to people our age,” Shepherd said. 

The two detailed going through exhaustive efforts, but they finally found a way to make it work through a loan from the Small Business Administration. 

Shepherd long had aspirations of owning a coffee shop, and it was even something he and his wife, Kit Tharp, put on their bucket list back in high school before they got married. Originally he thought the idea was decades out from becoming reality — if it even happened at all. He didn’t know this at the time, but his mother had been praying for years that he would one day have his own coffee shop, somehow knowing it was his destiny.

Shepherd and Silas said they want to continue to foster the community feel that has lived in Abbey’s Coffee since it first opened its doors in 1996. 

“We’re trying to just kind of continue the legacy that David and Suzie started,” Shepherd said, noting that the place is a community watering hole. 

Silas said the small-community feel has become even more evident now that people know the Tharps own the place. 

“We have people come in who our grandfather was a vet for all the time saying things like, ‘Oh, your grandfather is Vince Tharp. He saved my dog Simba,'” Silas said. The pair’s father also is the pastor at Rocky Mountain Bible Church, which is just a block away from the coffee shop, bringing even more people in that know the last name Tharp. 

Silas and Shepherd, for the most part, are sticking to the menu Abbey’s had before with a few, small changes.

Both are passionate about nutrition and fitness and have expanded the menu to add things like protein powder to smoothies and new energy drinks. Silas explained they would continue introducing new items and making changes to see what lands with customers. One thing they are definitely sticking with, they said, is the coffee served at Abbey’s.

The Tharps are planning to keep Abbey’s open a bit longer into the evening and are still hashing through how they plan to expand hours. For now they are open every day from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Abbey’s Coffee is located at 720 Main St. in Frisco.