John Coffelt, Editor

The Manchester community celebrated the birth and growth of several new ventures this past year, while also mourning the close of others.

Manchester in 2025 lost the Cracked Pot home furnishings store and Bruce’s Florist closed its doors in September after 80 years in business, but not all business news was bad.

Old Timers Day under new ownership saw a strong showing in October and the Mossy Pot’s new ownership was optimistic for its future following the change in August.

Locally owned by Chef Brett Binninger-Schwartz, the fine-dining steakhouse of the same name opened its doors in early September on the Square and Seven Brew Coffee opened in July on the Hillsboro Highway.

Formerly a food truck, Heaven in Your Mouth opened in November. 

The much-anticipated WAWA on Campground Road broke ground this year and the Panera Bread across from it is taking shape.     

Coffee County Bank celebrated its 50^th anniversary in September and is breaking ground on a new location in Tullahoma. Citizens Tri-County Bank opened a Coffee County branch on McArthur Street and has advertised a permanent location on Hillsboro Boulevard near the Manchester Fire Station. Peoples Bank and Trust is set to open its ATM on the square in the near future.

Unity Medical Center celebrated in June its clinically integrated alliance with Ascension Saint Thomas.  The alliance, announced as being built on a shared commitment to collaborative care, is said to offer expanded specialty services, improved health outcomes and increased local access to care.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.