Haibon and Iaconetti chose the name Audrey ’ s as a tribute to Ashley ’ s mom , who is frequently featured on Ashley ’ s Instagram stories . They also like the ring of the name . “ I ’ d love to name anything after my mom because we ’ re so close ,” says Ianconetti , who is six months pregnant at this point , wearing no makeup and scarfing down a McDonald ’ s breakfast sandwich . Fast food had been the one thing to sustain her throughout her nausea-inducing pregnancy , she says . “ He loved the name because it represents what he wants it to be , a cozy , ‘ everyone knows your name ’ kind of place ,” Iaconetti adds .
They hung a picture of Audrey Hepburn blowing bubble gum on the wall behind the counter in homage to Ashley ’ s mom near another portrait of their white , fluffy , three-year-old mutt , Lois . Sprinkled throughout the coffee shop is evidence of the couple ’ s love of movies , including posters and newspaper clippings featuring everything from Superman and Scream to Titanic ( Dawson ’ s first name is a tribute to Jack Dawson in Titanic ).
The couple explain that the cafe ’ s coffee brand has another “ Bachelor Nation ” connection . They are serving Generous Coffee Co ., which was developed by former “ Bachelor ” Ben Higgins who starred on the twentieth season of “ The Bachelor .” Generous Coffee Co . works with a roasting company that is passionate about converting cocaine fields into coffee farms that provide single origin , traceable , craft-roasted coffee while paying farmers more than the local price paid for coffee .
The shop also gives back to charity and offers military and first responders a discount . They plan to give a portion of proceeds to a different charity each month . Haibon used to volunteer at Camp Dotty , a camp run by the Tomorrow Fund for young children undergoing cancer treatment at Hasbro Children ’ s Hospital , so he wanted to give back through their business .
Not only are Jared and Ashley national celebrities , Audrey ’ s general manager Erin LaCombe says they are really good people . She met Haibon at Edge Fitness in Warwick where she previously served as a manager , and she also later worked at Main Street Coffee in East Greenwich , where Haibon was a regular . Haibon and Iaconetti recruited LaCombe to manage Audrey ’ s when it was time to open their own shop .
LaCombe knew it would be popular , but she is still amazed by the crowds that show up . “ Knowing Rhode Island , and obviously knowing how ‘ Bachelor ’ fans operate , I knew this place was going to blow up within a matter of days as soon
THIS PAGE : Clockwise from top left : Jared Haibon works the counter at Audrey ’ s ; Ashley Iaconetti relaxes at the shop before Dawson was born ; The couple cuts the ribbon at the grand opening with their dog , Lois . OPPOSITE PAGE : “ Bachelor ” Nation fans Giana Blaise , Megan Hollander and Shannon Sulmasy .
as we advertised that we were open ,” she says . “ Sure enough , it did .”
On the day of the December grand opening , Haibon and Iaconetti smiled for the media and fans with their dog while cutting a giant red-bowed ribbon in front of the shop . They were so busy hosting a cavalcade of customers that they ran out of almost every milk product used to produce the drinks . They had to immediately send out reinforcements to buy $ 80 worth of milk at Stop and Shop to replenish the supply for the afternoon .
Just before Blaise and her friends arrived on opening day , Haibon took photos with a group of women who are deaf , and signed the only expressions he knew like “ hello ” and “ beautiful women ,” which made them beam from ear to ear . LaCombe recounts another day , when a husband went into the shop , while his wife , who is a “ Bachelor ” fan , was too shy to go inside . She stayed in the car with her two young children , but Haibon went out to the car to personally present her and the kids with a signed copy of he and Ashley ’ s children ’ s book , Lucy and Clark , which is about their two family dogs and based on Jared and Ashley ’ s romance .
Like in this situation , LaCombe has a front row seat on “ The Bachelor ” fandom effect . “ I see him take pictures with people every single day that he is here . There ’ s not one person that he turns down ,” she says . “ If Jared is here and somebody wants to talk to him or see him , he makes the time no matter what he ’ s doing , and I think it ’ s so wonderful because happy people come back .”
Iaconetti has also taken a hands-on approach . She puts together the charcuterie boards and delivers them personally to guests , often with a selfie to follow ( she was very present at the shop up until their son was born in late January ). Now that Dawson is here , she plans to only host special meet-and-greet events . >>
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l APRIL 2022 61