The advances of Waynesboro's westend with Target and Kohl's and Wal-Mart and Starbucks have made a casualty of a downtown icon. The Chatter Bus, a tan-colored Bluebird school bus parked on a lot at the corner of Poplar and Broad streets has closed its doors. When it first opened in 2003, coffee shops were rare in the area but now an abundance of them has robbed the Chatter Bus of its novelty and its customers.
My sister and SWAC Niece loved to stop there when they came to visit from Richmond. With its outdoors seating, its comfy interior, and the friendliness of owner Colleen Paixao, it was the spot to feel welcomed ... sit a spell ... visit ... no purchase necessary if you didn't want to buy anything.
Not sure what you wanted? Colleen had suggestions ... perhaps this? Maybe that? Not just coffee but fruit smoothies were a specialty ... or make a suggestion and she would give it a whirl. Her friendly banter as she worked was a world away from impersonal chain stores.
The Chatter Bus had its 15 minutes of fame when the Travel Channel came to town a few years ago to film for a feature of unusual eateries ... we actually caught the show when it ran. They were often featured also in magazines and newspapers. Perhaps it was the name ... perhaps it was the bus ... perhaps it was the Paixaos. Whatever it was, it will be missed.
How sad. SWAC Niece will be terribly disappointed to not be able to visit the Chatter Bus when she visits....
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