WESTERVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) – A couple known for their social media videos will soon open a café in a historic Uptown Westerville building that was constructed in the 1920s.
Mike Tompkins, 37, and Kayla Tompkins, 37, have founded a new coffee shop called Begin Café, which will open at 8 E. Main St. The café, which has yet to unveil its menu, is set to open in “early 2025,” according to posts on its social media.
Before embarking on their journey to create Begin Café, the couple amassed millions of subscribers on YouTube. Mike Tompkins is a musician who primarily gained popularity through his acapella covers and original songs. He was featured on the Today show and The Ellen Show in 2010, before touring with the Jonas Brothers in 2013.
The couple, who have two kids, additionally had a combined YouTube channel dubbed Tompkins Life, where they shared family and travel vlogs. Kayla Tompkins is also the author of a children’s book titled “You Are,” which was published in 2020.
The latest YouTube video on Mike Tompkins channel, which has more than 2 million subscribers, was posted about three years ago. The family channel, with over 17,000 subscribers, has been inactive for about four years.
Begin Café’s website says the pair has travelled around the world and sampled a variety of cuisines, which will influence the new shop’s menu.
“From the corners of New Zealand to their hometown in Canada they are excited to share parts of it all with the local community,” the website states. “Mike and Kayla Tompkins met in high school in a small-town in Ontario, Canada and have been creating beautiful things together that they are passionate about, and this next one is their greatest endeavor.”
Rowe, the company designing the space, described the café as inspired by “the symbolism of the resilient wildflower,” with pops of color, floral designs, textured plaster, glazed clay tile, floral light fixtures and flower patterned wallpaper.
The building housing the café, which has stood since 1928, was most recently home to Grandfather Clock Co. The business, which sells and repairs clocks, moved to another Westerville location at 785 S. State St. last winter. It had sat on East Main Street since 2015.