Coffee & Connections

Connections are everything. A fun fact about me is that I am studying entrepreneurship in college. Another fun fact about me is that I also have a passion for small businesses and local owners within my community. This semester, in one of my entrepreneurship classes I had to bring in a local entrepreneur within the Cedar Valley. They were to speak on his story and success. He touched on something I believe to be the biggest perk of coffee shops, which I realized from working at a local coffee shop. Coffee shops create an environment that fosters connection with others. 

Countless interactions and memories take place within a coffee shop setting. As a barista, I see a lot of customer interactions. I see first dates, people coming over to get a coffee after cancer treatments from the hospital across the road, people closing on houses, reunions of family and friends, celebrations and parties for someone turning 99 years old – the list goes on and on.

But if someone doesn’t love the taste of espresso, it’s hard to believe the atmosphere and invitation local coffee shops offer goes ignored.

Relating to me…

While thinking of life in college at UNI, I have countless stories to tell of memories shared within coffee shops. These memories from coffee created endless connections. Let’s explore some examples from my personal life:

• I met one of my roommates through a coffee date. We sat watching the first snow of the school year for 3 and a half hours chatting.
• I decided I didn’t want to transfer schools in a booth of a local coffee shop.
• I cried about my boy issues to my friends in the corner of local coffee shops.
• I decided to get baptized in a local coffee shop.
• I got asked to be a bridesmaid at my best friend’s and roommate’s wedding in a local coffee shop.
• I was offered the opportunity to create merchandise for my favorite local coffee shop while working at my shop’s location.

The list goes on and on. So if there is one thing you take away from this blog and all these posts about why local coffee shops rock, let it be the community and connections it can bring to a person’s life. Coffee shops sell coffee but also bring people together and do life together.