Richard’s is the kind of place where it’s easy to sit down and get lost in a book over a piping hot cup of tea or catch up with friends over cold brew. When Dave Tuttle started Richard’s Fine Coffees nearly 30 years ago, that was his vision – a place “where you could get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Drift off, if you wish, into another world.”
No one knows Richard’s cozy home-feel better than new owners Koreen and Jimmy Hobbs. Richard’s Fine Coffees was Koreen’s first job outside of working with her father, a local chiropractor. She got the job with Dave two days after she turned 16 and worked there for nearly four years.
“I just fell in love with the people and the industry,” Hobbs said.
She and her husband even fell in love at the little coffee shop overlooking Central Park. When they started dating, Jimmy would come up to Richard’s and sit with Koreen during her late-night shifts (Richard’s closed at 11 pm back then). He’d help her close up, and they’d walk home to their downtown apartment together.
“Our love flourished as well as our love for owning a coffee shop one day,” Hobbs said.
Both Jimmy and Koreen worked for Eye Express for about ten years. Then Koreen went to school for aesthetics, where she met a woman who would soon become her friend. Koreen worked her way up through her friend’s business until she became the director of operations for eight years. Eventually, the company moved to California, and Koreen was looking for local employment. In the meantime, Jimmy moved on to car sales.
Over the years, the Hobbs kept in touch with Tuttle. Jimmy even sold him a few cars. They’d tell Richard’s owner to let them know when he was ready to retire. That call came in September 2023. “It was funny how it all worked out for us because I was looking for something, and our dream was always to have a coffee shop.”
The Hobbs dreamed of having a coffee shop when their two girls, Rylee and Laycee, graduated high school. The opportunity came a little earlier than that, with the girls aged 10 and 15, but they couldn’t refuse it. After working her way up through her friend’s company, Koreen felt business ownership was the next step for her.
Last December 1, the Hobbs officially took ownership of Richard’s Fine Coffees. “When you have a business for as long as Dave did, for close to 30 years, he’s obviously doing something right. The basis of this business is our returning loyal customers, and making a lot of changes is something I didn’t want to do,” said Koreen. “We’re here to carry the torch, but put a little bit of a woman’s touch on it.”
Along with its bright, cheery interior overlooking the vast green of the park downtown, Richard’s is known for, of course, its coffee. In addition to coffee creations and espresso beverages, the shop offers tea, smoothies, soft beverages, kombucha, and cold brew.
Richard’s is most known for its killer pressed Cuban piled high with ham, roasted pork, Genoa salami, Swiss cheese, pickles, and homemade sauce on authentic Ybor City Cuban bread. The menu also boasts an assortment of breakfast sandwiches, hot and cold sandwiches, salads, chicken and tuna salad, bagels, and pastries.
“We just want it to feel like your hometown coffee shop. Somewhere you can come where you’re comfortable to meet with a friend, go on a first date, or even business meetings,” said Hobbs, who noted that her favorite part about running Richard’s so far has been the people. She’s even reunited with customers she remembers serving when she worked there as a teen almost 20 years ago. “They’re the ones who keep the doors open and the lights on,” she said. The new owner described Richard’s as akin to “Cheers,” where you walk in, and everyone knows your name.
Richard’s Fine Coffees is a family affair, with husband Jimmy recently coming on full-time and daughters Rylee and Laycee running the register and bussing tables when they can. Koreen said, “They love that it’s a familyowned business that they can come in and help with and that we can all be together a little bit more, too.”
Richard’s Fine Coffees
330 Avenue A NW, Winter Haven
(863) 291-3082
FB: Richard’s Fine Coffees
IG @richards_coffee
Photography by Amy Sexson
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