There is a place where the community gathers and catches up on gossip, work emails, and whatever life throws at you. That place is the local coffee shop.
When Amy Franks saw the young adults with intellectual and developmental differences at Southside United Methodist Church group’s “Younglife” program slipping through the cracks as they graduated into young adulthood, she wanted to find a solution. She figured the best place to help people transition into working members of the community would be at the bubbling hub of it all. And that’s how Happy Brew Coffee Shop was born.
“We want it to be not just a coffee shop,” Franks said in an interview with What Now Jacksonville. “We want it to be a center, like a community center—we want it to be something meaningful.”
Happy Brew will be different from any other coffee shop. For one, it’s a nonprofit, so any money it makes will go straight to help its occupational therapist find jobs that fit its member’s abilities. The coffee shop is run like a twelve-week vocational program — what Franks said will “fit the seasonal drink specials.” During the program, the therapist will assist those in the program’s potential and help them find and excel at a position at the coffee shop.
The coffee shop/vocational training program/employment opportunity for those in need will be in San Marco and boasts the fitting tagline, “we brew possibilities,” according to its website. In its recent renderings, the site plans to be able to seat 70 people with both indoor and outdoor seating space.
For those in the internship program, there are high-level positions like Barista or counter positions for those that love interacting with customers. Some functions require simple tasks like sweeping or only require minimal time, only a few hours. Franks says that the shop adjusts to meet the hires’ needs to help them maximize what they can get out of their experience.
According to Franks, the goal, rather than profit, is “touch as many lives as possible.”
Currently, Happy Brew Coffee Shop has raised over $500,000 and has started its buildout. Franks said it would need another $500,000 before being ready to serve its first customer, however. And fundraising has been a big part of her strategy.
“It needs to be totally (upgraded) for everyone’s ability,” Franks said. “(It will need) automatic doors and smooth poured concrete so it can be wheelchair accessible. We put a lot of thought into the building. We had to do a lot of fundraising.”
Franks said she hopes for a soft opening on Easter Day. Before that, she will hold a job fair in January or February so those interested in the vocational program can apply.
