The Willow Tree Coffeehouse and Music Room will host an extravaganza to celebrate the five years since it first opened its doors to the music, literature and coffee lovers of Johnson City.
On Jan. 26 from 8 p.m. to close, they’re bringing back Yarn and BIG DADDY LOVE alongside 49 Winchester. Then, Sunday, Jan. 27 from open to 5 p.m., Yarn will be back with Dangermuffin for a special Sunday acoustic matinee. Yarn has played each year, but BIG DADDY LOVE is coming back from a two-year hiatus.
“Yarn and BIG DADDY LOVE are hugely responsible for my love of music,” said co-owner Teri Dosher. “It was in wanting to create a place for bands like this to play and introduce their music to others that inspired me to open The Willow Tree. When we opened five years ago, they, together, were our grand opening bands. It was a huge sell-out crowd, and people came from all over. It will be a wonderful reunion.”
Saturday’s show is $20 for advance ticketing and $25 at the door. Tickets for Sunday are $18 at the door and $20 the day of. Tickets for the entire weekend can also be purchased at the reduced fee of $35. Tickets are expected to sell out, so it is encouraged to buy in advance.
“I’m expecting a huge turnout,” Teri said. “Tickets are already selling fast, and most of those have been purchased by people living in other states, some as far away as D.C.,” said Dosher.
It all started as a small dream for co-owners Teri and her daughter Zöe, but they have built an entire community out of it.
“Our primary goal when we opened The Willow Tree was to introduce the area to amazing live music,” said Teri. “We also wanted to create a welcoming community-centered coffeehouse where people could come hang out and feel at home and have the proceeds support the music room.
“When we opened we really had no idea what we were doing. We had no coffeehouse experience or experience running a music venue, and we even taught ourselves how to make coffee with YouTube videos. The fact that we have had five years of success is pretty amazing, and we feel blessed every day to have made it this far.”
For five years, the staff at The Willow Tree, or the “keepers of the dream,” have shared the music and art they love with the community, and the bands that started it all are coming back for the weekend-long celebration.
The unique quality of The Willow Tree Coffeehouse and Music Room is that it’s like the “living room of Johnson City.” You can find art collections throughout, including napkin art created by patrons and local art, endless walls of used books for sale or browsing, and plenty of relaxed seating that’s perfect to curl up in with a good book and some comfort food. All food is homemade and specially chosen as comfort food.
“Our customers tell us our coolest features are the people who work here and the atmosphere,” Teri said. “We have the most beautiful staff, and we call them ‘keepers of the dream.’ They truly care about The Willow Tree and everyone who walks through the door,” said Dosher. “I also think one of our coolest features is our customers. We have a wonderfully diverse group of customers, many who have become like family to us.”
