CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (AP) — Lindsey and Tanner Ratcliffe noticed during their time living out West that coffee shops with only a drive-thru are quite common in that part of the country.
So when the time came to open their own business, the couple already had a good idea of what they ultimately wanted to do.
“We always knew we wanted to have a West Coast style on the East Coast,” said Lindsey Ratcliffe.
That plan finally came to fruition this past winter when they opened Space Rabbit Coffee, a drive-thru shop on Christiansburg’s Roanoke Street that’s modeled after many of the spots they saw during their time out West.
The drive-thru operates out of a nearly 1,000-square-foot building that formerly housed a LoanMax Title Loans location. One of the business’ distinguishing features is a mural on one of its exterior walls of a sunglasses-wearing rabbit dressed in an astronaut suit. The rabbit is painted against a mountainous backdrop, and coffee is shown floating around its helmet.
The mural was done by artist and Pulaski County High School graduate Emily Baker, Ratcliffe said.
While the drive-thru store opened at the end of January, it wasn’t the first entity to carry the Space Rabbit brand as the Ratcliffes have been operating a coffee beverage trailer since June 2020. Ratcliffe said they’ve sold coffee from the trailer at various locations throughout the Roanoke area and New River Valley.
Ratcliffe said they bought the trailer — a former crepe trailer — in Utah in 2020 and purchased the equipment from a friend who was closing a drive-thru coffee shop in Arizona.
Despite the successes of the trailer, Tanner Ratcliffe said they kept their ultimate goal in mind.
“We’ve always wanted a drive-thru. We just didn’t know where,” he said.
The couple currently reside in Christiansburg, but previously lived in other parts of the country due to Tanner Ratcliffe’s past work as a travel nurse.
The drive-thru is another addition to a stretch of Roanoke Street most visibly marked by a string of car dealerships owned by the Duncan automotive network and the Shelor Motor Mile group.
Since the pandemic began in 2020, a number of service and food businesses have trickled into that part of Christiansburg. They include a Starbucks, a Sheetz gas station and convenience store and another space-themed establishment farther down Roanoke Street called Lost In Taste.
While Lindsey Ratcliffe clarified that they don’t have a formal partnership with the owner of Lost In Taste, she said she finds it neat that both businesses are space themed.
Other developments are also taking place in that part of town. For weeks now, significant excavation work has occurred on land located just in front of the U.S. 460 and Roanoke Street interchange and in the nearby area behind the strip mall property that is both home to and owned by the Blue Ridge Church.
Although that stretch of Roanoke Street now has no shortage of places that sell to-go coffee, the Ratcliffes said their model avoids hassle caused by parking and intends to be quicker and more convenient for patrons.
“We’re trying to be a Starbucks alternative,” Tanner Ratcliffe said.
In fact, the couple is somewhat appreciative of the coffee chain’s presence in that area, which they noted is adjacent to both the U.S. 460 bypass and Interstate 81. They said Starbucks has shown that there is strong demand for coffee in that area, particularly for people on the go.
“Clearly, this road gets traffic for a coffee shop,” Lindsey Ratcliffe said.
She said she’s glad the drive-thru and other nearby businesses can help draw attention to that part of town, despite the mall area long being associated with retail and dining in Christiansburg.
In addition to its coffees and other beverages, the drive-thru makes and sells its own doughnuts.
Ratcliffe said one goal they’re eyeing is trying to eventually capture more of the crowd that uses the park and ride near the U.S. 460 bypass and Roanoke Street interchange.
Among those who leave their cars at the Christiansburg park and ride are riders of the Smart Way bus that effectively provides a connection between downtown Roanoke and the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg. There’s also a connection to the Blacksburg Transit system at the Christiansburg park and ride.
The drive-thru would need to expand its hours to be able to capture more of the park and ride crowd, Ratcliffe said. The business, however, is looking to grow its staff, which could in the future allow it to remain open for a little longer each day, she said.
Many cars are often parked at the park and ride during much of the daytime, meaning that their drivers are elsewhere during those hours, Ratcliffe said.
The Space Rabbit drive-thru is open Monday through Saturday, and the hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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