Whether you find yourself in Soulé Coffee + Bubbletea by chance, out of curiosity or as a regular, the sighs of satisfaction emanating from you are the results of sipping and savoring worldly fusions.

Owner Ezra Brown, a native of South Carolina, has lived and toured the world as a renowned jazz musician. His travels have taken him to Dakar, Africa, and he lived nearly six years in Asia, residing in places like Japan, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.

These places helped Brown discover and develop a love for the creativity and innovation of how teas and coffees were created.

It was the mixing, the fearless fusions; the adding of fruit or making drinks “dirty” by adding little shots of espresso that intrigued Brown.

“It’s was a different kind of vibe in these places,” said Brown. “Watching, learning and partaking … the drinks kind of follow my whole life, and I had an epiphany. Encompass drinks and community, and forward thinking about economic inclusion. So, why not here?”

Brown says plans for expansion into other areas of the city are also taking shape.

“Jackson can be the breeding ground for greatness from an enterprise standpoint,” said Brown. “All the components are here that you can take to the world.”

His coffee shop and tea house has an easy, welcoming feel. From the artwork on the walls to the soothing jazz and wafting aromas that fill the senses.

“It just hits different,” said a customer of the shop’s ambiance.

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Vickie King has experience as a professional photographer spanning 35 years- from childhood purchasing her first camera by selling flower seeds to neighbors, as a stringer for Associated Press in Des Moines, Iowa, a freelancer shooting an album cover to your loved one’s wedding, and your kids and pets at a J.C. Penney portrait studio. She joins the Mississippi Today team as a photojournalist.

A native Mississippian and resident of Jackson, Vickie was born in Laurel.
You know her work from years as a staff photographer for the Clarion-Ledger. Her award-winning photography has appeared in such publications as the New York Times, Editor & Publisher Magazine, People Magazine, in national news broadcasts, and books depicting the devastation of Hurricane Katrina to the glory of Ole Miss football.

Most recently, she is the former photographer, Special Projects Officer IV, Staff Officer I, videographer, and online content producer for the Mississippi Department of Corrections. She is also a Pulitzer Prize nominee for Spot News.

Vickie is a graduate of Simpson College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Relations.