BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT - THE COURTHOUSE COMMONS

The Water Valley Area Chamber of Commerce presented its Business Spotlight Award to the Courthouse Cafe on Monday, Jan. 19, recognizing owner Justin McDaniel for his commitment to the community and continued investment in Water Valley.

First introduced by the Chamber in 2016, the Business Spotlight Award honors businesses and individuals who demonstrate exceptional community involvement and dedication. McDaniel opened Courthouse Cafe in September 2023. He also owns Courthouse Commons, the five-building shopping center where the cafe is located.
McDaniel began renovating the Courthouse Commons property in late 2020 alongside the late Randy Uncapher and has continued the work largely through hands-on effort.

“The renovations have been one space at a time,” McDaniel said. “I’ve done most of the work myself and reinvested as things moved forward.”

The gradual renovation and leasing of the complex has resulted in the shopping center now being fully renovated and fully occupied. Courthouse Commons is home to Jonathan Kent Adams Gallery, Mulberry Lane Resale Shop, and NAPA. A new cigar lounge, Toads, is also expected to open in fifth building the near future.
“I wanted the whole area to have some life to it,” McDaniel said. “Each space kind of built off the last one.”

McDaniel said the cafe itself was born out of a need he saw for a food and coffee option near the courthouse. “I knew the shopping center needed a place like that,” he said. “When the previous owner closed, I decided I needed to step up. It felt like the right spot for a small cafe, and something the town needed.”

Despite limited restaurant experience, McDaniel said he built the menu around the equipment already in place and leaned into a courthouse-themed concept using legal terminology for menu items, with offerings ranging from specialty lattes like “The Verdict” to lunch favorites such as the “Courthouse Club” and “The BailBurger.”

“I just figured it out as I went,” McDaniel said. “The day we opened was the day I started practicing.”

Since opening, the cafe has expanded its outdoor seating and interior layout and added improvements, including a new vent hood, as it developed a steady customer base.

“We have a lot of regular customers who eat lunch with us almost every day,” McDaniel said. “We know most of them by first name. The support from the community is what I’m most proud of.”

McDaniel credited his staff for the cafe’s success and said he has never taken a paycheck from the business. “I do it because I get satisfaction from people appreciating it,” he said. “That’s what makes it worthwhile.”