COLUMBIA - Love Coffee Shop provides job skills training and employment to individuals with disabilities and barriers to working. During the pandemic, the café feared that their business was near collapse. However, thanks to the outpouring of love and support from the local community the compassionate store was able to get back on track and more.
Karen Morgan, Love Coffee's general manager, was a high school special education teacher for 30 years who taught life skills and job skills to her students. She says she took all the lessons from the responsibilities of that job and used them in her new role of directing the shop and taking care of its employees.
"I always tried to motivate my students to believe in themselves and have faith in their abilities, and be able to go into the competitive world and work," Morgan said.
In 2020, during the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, Love Coffee was near collapse. However, Morgan said the outpouring of love and support from their patrons and the general public helped save the cafe. She acknowledges that without the compassionate efforts by their advocates, Love Coffee wouldn't have been able to climb out of that hole.
"It's very touching to get a random card in the mail with a check in it from someone who had heard about us or happened to have someone that works with us," Morgan said. "We give all of the credit to the community for helping us stay open during this difficult time."
Not only did the coffee shop pull through the tough strains of the pandemic, it was able to open a new location at the Tiger Hotel. Morgan says the historic hotel welcomed them with open arms.
"They believe in our mission of supporting and hiring people with disabilities and barriers to employment," Morgan stated.
At the café's original spot on Business Loop, operations are booming again. Sean Nevills, a loyal customer of Love Coffee for the past two years and a former coach and special education teacher himself, felt a special relation the first time he stepped foot in their shop.
"I was just looking for a coffee shop that was open that I could relax in and I walked right in," Nevills said. "Just the vibe about the connection that I have as working with individuals with disabilities, I really fell in love with the place."
While the mission and values are Love Coffee's goal, the shop satisfies its customers with their products as well.
"Coffee's great! The coffee's great, and honestly the food is where you want to be too. The best thing is the cinnamon rolls so if you got a sweet tooth and you just want to knock it out during breakfast, you have to get one of those," Nevills said.
If you would like to donate to the shop, you can do so on their website.
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April 03, 2022 at 04:56AM
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Local coffee shop pushes through difficult times with the help of community - KOMU 8
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