About Us
Who
What
What
- The idea for the Hangout on Main came to Angela Sundaramurthy (right) in March 2021 after she noticed the needs of her community. One of the first people she told was Elizabeth Stuart (left), who was very supportive! Though Elizabeth had a full-time job at a successful restaurant, she was right by Angela's side as the idea "grew legs." As of August 2023 Elizabeth was able to partner up, and the two women now run the Hangout together! They work so well together that they hate to separate, and can often be found at each other's houses in the evenings, loving on each others' kids.
What
What
What
- The Hangout on Main offers Smoothies, L&B Coffee (coming October), and a community lounge for anyone who just needs a place to go! Check out our Events page to learn more about Open Mic, Karaoke, Thrive ladies meet-up, upcoming entertainment, and other news! We invite you to bring your little ones, host your club meetings, use our instruments to practice, learn, or perform, sit and play a game or get crafty, play some foosball or free Atari games, take a nap or whatever!
Why
What
Why
- In a world of social media, internet, and COVID restrictions, we noticed our community was suffering for real-life human interaction. So we created the Hangout to give people a place to go!
- It's a lot of work and money to drive to the city (Lynchburg) to keep our kids active and healthy. So we brought the fun to Amherst, just walking distance from the high school and within a mile of two elementary and one middle school!
- Older adults have also felt very isolated. This is for them, too!
- Amherst VA has a reputation for being kind of dead. The only way to revive it and see more businesses, we had to stick our necks out and bring a lively business in!
- Our physical location almost became a "Head" shop (vape, marajuana, etc). As supporters of a free market, we weren't going to cause a stink with the town government or community. Instead, we simply made sure we got here first!
- There's not a lot of healthy options here in Amherst, so we brought some.
- And what about L&B Coffee? L&B was our town's favorite mom-and-pop coffee shop. So when Mom and Pop got tired of running it, we swooped in to carry on the vision to serve (and caffeinate) our loyal customers! We want the L&B coffee shop to live on.
- Why the retro theme? Well, our location used to be the Amherst Pharmacy back in the day. There still hangs a "Greeting Cards" sign from the 1960's, installed by a local woman when she and her husband ran the pharmacy. As a nod to the heyday of this town and her lifelong citizens, we wanted to capture its former glory!
- The list goes on and on! Come check us out!