Blue Heron Coffee has built a community around itself

ST. MICHAELS — On Thursday morning, Blue Heron Coffee buzzed with excitement and laughter as over a dozen patrons engaged with each other. In the center of it all are owners Jay and Heather Hudson.

Blue Heron Coffee is celebrating its fourth anniversary this month. Jay Hudson said he spent the first 25 years of his career working in bars and restaurants helping people end their day, and now he wants to spend the next 25 years of his life waking them up.

Jay and Heather Hudson began their business in April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jay Hudson said they had been working on buying the business before COVID hit and tried their best to work through all the uncertainty around them.

Jay Hudson expressed the difficulties his family had to work through to establish their business. One way they were able to start was by making connections with their customers.

The Hudsons would write little messages to every customer, and soon, they were developing connections, learning about customers’ hobbies and families and exchanging jokes with each other.

Heather Hudson said building community is the most crucial aspect of their business.

“We just want a safe, inclusive place for people to come,” Heather Hudson said. “And even if you don’t like coffee, and you want to get a bottle of water or a tea, I just want you to be able to come sit, make new friends or just be quiet and still if that’s what you want to do. Having a safe place where you can be yourself is so rare, and I think it’s nice that we can provide that.”

Jay Hudson said that although he loves coffee, people bring him the most joy out of his work.

“The coffee is just a vessel,” Jay Hudson said. “We put so much care into roasting our own coffee, curating wonderful beans with unique flavor profiles. And we love doing that. But at the end of the day, it’s just a vessel to have fun and connect with the community.”

When news got around that Jay and Heather Hudson would have a profile written about them by the Star Democrat, over a dozen patrons shared their adoration for Blue Heron Coffee and its owners.

Ace Moritz, co-owner of Eastern Shore Brewing in St. Michaels, said Jay Hudson worked as general manager of his business for about seven years, and he expected nothing less from Jay Hudson than utter success and creativity in his business.

“I never had any doubt that he was going to knock it out,” Moritz said. “His customer loyalty is insane. He cares so much about them, and his customers feel the same way that we all feel about him.”

Jayme Dingler, a longtime friend and customer, said Jay and Heather are the sweetest people and active community members.

“Jay and Heather, they’re always out in the community doing things, or they’re so entrenched in this community,” Dingler said. “They have built this really beautiful community around themselves.”

Vicki Cotter, a former resident of St. Michaels who now lives in Arizona, eagerly shared why she still buys her coffee from the Blue Heron.

“Buying coffee, whether beans or a cup of coffee, became an integral part of my life in St Michaels,” Cotter said. “I felt loved every time I walked in. I don’t remember how Jay learned my name, but he did. Words that come to mind when I think of Jay are love, hugs, community, coffee.”

Tim Unsell, a customer from Illinois, said the love that Jay has for his coffee is intense.

”The love is evident on the first sip of his Donnie Darko blend,” Unsell said. “I believe Jay would legally marry his coffee roaster if certain laws were changed in the Old Line state.”

Bill Webber, a resident of Hagerstown, said Jay and Heather Hudson made their establishment incredibly welcoming and “uniquely Hudson.”

”Watching how they interact with customers, from the well-known regulars down the odd first-timer, they all get treated with the same degree of warmth and belonging no matter what or who they are,” Webber said. “In short, Jay and Heather are arguably two of the most genuine and compassionate people I have ever met …They are the real deal, and whether they realize it or not, St. Michaels is lucky to have them.”

Blue Heron Coffee is located at 500 S. Talbot Street in St. Michaels.