Kristin Wells
Dog Eared Coffee Bar, LLC
Supported By:
Ben Smith
Small Business Center Director, Blue Ridge Community College
Meet the Entrepreneur
Kristin Wells brings extensive experience in business development, strategic growth, and customer engagement to her entrepreneurial journey. After earning national recognition for her leadership with Food Lion, she returned to her Western North Carolina roots to pursue her vision of building a business that fosters meaningful community connections and delivers exceptional customer experiences. Driven by resilience, innovation, and a passion for serving others, Kristin is creating a destination driven by the power of stories to bring people together.
About the Business
Dog Eared Coffee Bar, LLC, will combine a romance-focused bookstore, coffee shop, and dog-themed retail experience into one welcoming community space. Designed to encourage conversation and connection, the business offers an inviting destination where books, coffee, and canine companions come together.
About
Kristin Wells is an entrepreneur currently focused full-time on bringing a new small business to life in Hendersonville, North Carolina. A Western North Carolina native who grew up in Asheville, Kristin recently returned to the mountains after 16 years in the Charlotte area, bringing with her a strong background in strategy, growth, relationship-building, and execution.
Prior to entrepreneurship, Kristin served as Director of Business Development at Food Lion, where she earned national recognition as a Progressive Grocer Top Woman in Grocery in both 2022 and 2025. Known for her drive, resilience, and ability to turn vision into action, she is building a concept designed to create meaningful community connection and deliver a memorable customer experience.
Kristin holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Criminal Justice and Criminology from East Tennessee State University, a background that strengthened her analytical thinking, problem-solving, and ability to understand people and systems. Now rooted back in WNC, Kristin is passionate about building something lasting in the region that shaped her. When she’s not working on the launch, she enjoys reading, taking tap, jazz, and ballet classes, and spending time with her dogs. Her goals are clear: build a successful business, contribute meaningfully to her community, be the best aunt she can be to her five nephews, and continue giving as many dogs as possible a life full of love, comfort, and adventure.