by Michael D. Wynne
In my half century of living and learning in Cenla, I have never met anyone (and I mean anyone) who I haven’t learned from, admired and/or is now a friend. And that includes some couples. But there are those people that I have found that stand heads above most others for their charm, wit, friendliness, happiness and their passion in what they do.
The couple that I will highlight today is delightful and is most giving of themselves to others. And that couple is Steve and Cindy Woodham of Alexandria.
As I have always said: If one is willing to sit down and listen to their fellow man (or woman), we would love and appreciate them more for the fundamental good people that they are. Steve, the son of a well-known television Pentecostal pastor of Monroe, spent his early life traveling with his parents to his fathe’s various pastoral assignments around the South.
Arriving in Monroe in 1974, Steve closely watched his father on television, even singing on his father’s program, and immediately “fell in love” with the media. But, Steve’s first job started on radio as a D.J., station KNOE, “back when radio was live.”
But, an unhappy listener temporarily ended all that one day by coming to the radio station to try to kill Steve by shooting through the control room door where Steve was seated. That, plus the murder of another fellow radio host, lead Steve to realizing that enough was enough with radio.
He entered the hotel business continuing his traveling life, which led to working with President George H. W. Bush and meeting many famed actors, such as Robert Conrad. He rose through the various hotel chains to eventually helping create
hotels “from the ground up.”
The incredible stress of the hotel grind, and his remembrance of his love for it, eventually brought Steve back home to radio. As his last hotel gig was then in Alexandria, Steve shifted back to radio, to l”Sunny” 106.9 and 104.3 “The Bridge.”
At his peak, Steve says, “I had a Southern Gospel program that was broadcast around the world.” But, the radio business, like all businesses, would not be forever.
Two years ago, at Steve and Cindy’s church, Connect Church, on Bayou Rapides Road, someone donated a school bus to the church. Steve and the church’s pastor, Grover “Bubba” Warren, found they had no use for the bus and couldn’t even give it away. Grover made the joke that the bus could be used as a coffee shop. It was a standing joke for a while, but after Steve finally came to take it seriously, he persuaded his wife to support the business. (Cindy has had a happy life working with her husband, even as a desk clerk at his hotels.)
The bus would take 93 days to gut and renovate, making it into a full-fledged coffee shop, a shop currently located on Versailles Blvd., one block off Jackson Street Extension in Alexandria. It is the only school-bus-turned-coffee-shop in
Louisiana and one of a very few in the nation. As special as that is, it is Steve and Cindy who truly make it a center of attention.
Steve notes, “We charge for coffee, but prayer and friendship is always free.” Many a person has come to share their burdens of life with Steve and Cindy and have left the bus fully refreshed (and caffeinated too!).
The coffee business can be a strange, but, often an entertaining business. Cindy noted one order in particular: “an eggnog-toasted marshmallow coffee with two shots of espresso.” Steve whipped it up and the purchaser just loved it!
Dr. Jonas Gauthier, a dentist from Pineville, comes here seven days a week for his coffee. “They are truly amazing. They not only have the best coffee in town, but they are the most friendly people in town.”
Steve proudly states, “We want our bus to be part of the community. This is our retirement and our mission in life.” Steve and Cindy are also proud to have three sons and four grandchildren. Their website is: busstopbrews.com
