Amy Counce, owner, and Tanner Caton, community events manager, help bring community connections to life at Nexus Coffee and Creative in downtown Little Rock. The unique coffee shop strives to be a meeting place in the heart of Little Rock that brings people together as a place to connect, be creative, and engage with the community.

Counce and Caton have recently partnered with UA Little Rock to help engage with students, employees, and alumni. They have hosted a Coffee + Connect event in August for UA Little Rock alumni, and a portion of the proceeds were donated to the UA Little Rock Annual Fund.

How did Nexus Coffee and Creative get started?

We started on a napkin at Homer’s restaurant in West Little Rock. Amy wanted to create a gathering place for the community and the best way she thought to do that was through coffee. 

What led you to your current location on President Clinton Avenue?

After looking through a few different spots downtown, we found a building that used to be an old art gallery. It was a God thing as well. There were a lot of tourists coming through here as well as other storefronts, so we knew it would be a great place for our business. We took a lease in January and opened in July. 

What is Nexus’s mission and your vision for the future of the business?

“Nexus” means a connecting point or central place, so our mission and vision revolved around that. We want to continue investing in our community and making a difference in the lives of others in Downtown Little Rock and beyond.

You recently hosted a Coffee + Connect event for UA Little Rock alumni. What inspired that event, and will there be more?

We love partnering with local businesses and community leaders here at Nexus, so when Derrick Newby approached us about possibly hosting a coffee + connect event, we were thrilled! We also loved the idea of more students being aware of the opportunities at UA Little Rock as well as being supported through scholarship donations as a result of the pop-up event.

I’ve heard that you offer a special UA Little Rock discount at Nexus Coffee and Creative, something that is sure to be popular with the new school year underway. Tell me more.

We love to offer discounts for students because we understand the financial situation that most students are in. College students don’t typically have disposable income for things like coffee, so we like to offer a discount to make it more affordable since it fuels them to better perform in their courses and careers.

Nexus Coffee and Creative is making a donation to the UA Little Rock Annual Fund, which supports student scholarships. What inspired you to make this donation?

Here at Nexus, we try to remain thoughtful about how we can invest back into our community since that is one of our main values. This donation to the student scholarships fund was a no-brainer since we know that we are investing in students who will be the future of our city and our state here in Arkansas!

What are your thoughts on working with UA Little Rock to help serve the community?

We love working with UA Little Rock to serve the community because it aligns so well with our values and mission. They want to serve current students and alumni as best they can, and many of those students are so close to our area of influence here in Little Rock.