Live Oak’s Shelter and Strength: Meet Reneé Deckrow
Watch Episode 37 of
The Max Loves Midland Show
Coming this Wednesday 04/22/26!
Reneé Deckrow, In Her Own Words:
“I’m Renee’ Deckrow, and for me, Live Oak Coffeehouse has never just been about coffee. It has always been about creating a place where people feel seen, welcomed, and connected. My husband, Aaron, and I moved to Midland full-time in 1999, and hospitality had already become part of our story. We met in the restaurant industry while we were in college, and back in the mid 1990s, we visited our first Starbucks in Toronto. I remember sitting there thinking, "I love this." Someday, we are going to open a cafe of our own. That dream stayed with us for years while we built a life, raised four kids, and poured ourselves into work and community in different ways.
When people ask how Live Oak began, I always want to say it started long before the doors opened in January 2017. It started with this deep love of gathering people. I have always loved hosting. I have always loved creating spaces where people can come together around something shared, whether that is food, creativity, conversation, or simply the chance to not feel alone. Even when I was doing photography, I never felt like I was just taking pictures. I was trying to create opportunities for connection. That has really been the thread through everything I have done.
A big part of the story is the building itself [Ashman Plaza]. Aaron and I moved our photography studio there in 2010, and when the building came up for sale in 2013, we decided to take a leap and buy it. It was a huge leap. I was a young mom with four kids, and buying a 16,000-square-foot building felt scary in every possible way. I went through a lot of uncertainty during that season, but one thing that carried me through was this image in my mind that the building could become like an oak tree, a place of shelter and rest for people. I knew there was something special coming, even if I could not yet fully see it.
At first, we did what we always do: start small. We filled the building with community energy. There were art classes, workshops, events, and small businesses finding their footing there. When the chance came to create a coffeehouse, we actually tried to hand that dream off to someone else because we did not yet trust ourselves to do it. But the timing kept pointing back to us. People around us kept saying, "You should do this.” So we decided to go for it and brought in people who knew what we did not. That is one of the truest things about Live Oak. It has been built by the community from the very beginning.
The name Live Oak carries so much meaning for me. A friend from Louisiana suggested it when I said I wanted the word oak in the name. When I started researching Live Oaks, it felt like a perfect fit. They are strong. They offer protection. Their roots grow deeper through hardship. As they age, their limbs stretch low and wide, creating accessible shelter. That is exactly what I wanted Live Oak to represent. I wanted it to be a place of healing, rest, and belonging. I wanted people who felt lonely, overlooked, or out of place to feel welcome at the table. My own life taught me how important that is. I moved in high school and know what it feels like to be the new kid, to sit alone, to have to find your people. I have always wanted to build a longer table, not a higher fence.
Over time, Live Oak became more than a coffeehouse. It became a catalyst in Midtown. It helped create identity, energy, and pride in a part of town that had been overlooked for a long time. It became a place where people met friends, held meetings, reconnected, and celebrated life. On a busy morning, walking into Live Oak feels like Thanksgiving to me. It feels like family.
That same spirit is what makes the MYPros Community Crowdfund so meaningful to me right now. The Ashman Loft and Little Midland are part of this same story of community building. We have always believed in creating approachable, affordable spaces where families and young adults can gather, play, connect, and belong. The Crowdfund is not just about refreshing a room. It is about investing in a place where community life can keep happening. It is about helping a beloved space grow stronger so it can serve even more people. I love that the Crowdfund invites the whole community to cast their pebble into the water and be part of something bigger.
When I look ahead, my hopes for Midland are simple and big at the same time. I want this to keep being a place where people feel they can contribute, plant roots, and help make things beautiful. I want it to be the kind of community our kids want to come back to after they've explored the world. I want Midland to keep growing as a place of connection, compassion, stewardship, and possibility. I really believe that is who we are, and I hope we never stop building spaces where people can gather, belong, and thrive together.”
Do you have a Midland County story you would like to tell that aligns with our vision?