About
The B.T.C.
Origin Story of the B.T.C. Old-Fashioned Grocery:
The B.T.C. was the daydream of Alexe van Beuren, a Virginian transplant to the small town of Water Valley, Mississippi. Inspired by the possibilities of the historic brick building her husband, Kagan Coughlin, had bought and single-handedly rescued, Alexe decided to combine her love of food, story, and place into a store like no other. A place where women in church hats and men off of trucks would mingle and where there's a playhouse just for children. She's been happily selling vegetables, honey, every local product she can get her hands on, and imported treats like fresh wild-caught fish, Italian and French cheeses, good coffee, and sourdough bread since May 1st, 2010.
The BTC also boast a bustling and delish lunch counter! Miz Yalonda Ramsey mans the kitchen and turns out delicious burgers, po'boys, sandwiches, soups, salads, and a daily special! (Her Blue Devil Slap-Yo-Mama plate lunches are not to be missed.) The BTC kitchen also turns out homemade chicken salad, pimento cheese, baked goods, take-and-bake casseroles, and more!
The B.T.C. is a small-town labor of love and a living homage to place and it would not exist without the beautiful offerings of farmers like Mike Wagner, who ecologically raises rice in the Delta; Hal Vaughn, who grows tomatoes known in-store as Loveapples; Mr. William Jeffries, who brings us fresh eggs year-round and the most beautiful vegetables in the summer; The Grit Girl, who grinds exceptional stone-ground grits and cornmeal in the neighboring town of Oxford, and too many more to list. You never know what you might find that was picked that morning at the B.T.C.!