A commercially operated coffee stand in the Durango Public Library lobby that proved unprofitable for two tenants is now under management that doesn’t need to turn a profit.
The city, Durango School District 9-R and San Juan Board of Cooperative Education Services, supported by in-kind donations in the initial stage by local businesses, has taken on the coffee stand as a training ground for special-needs students.
The Common Grounds Café opened officially Friday with a ribbon-cutting after a soft opening a month ago to give students an opportunity to get comfortable in their new role.
Nicholas Mathews, a junior at Durango High School, was selling sandwiches, learning how to make mochas and lattes on a capuccino machine and getting the hang of the cash register on opening day.
“I like this better than class at school,” Nicholas said. “I like helping people.”
Rita May Hecker, a DHS senior, said she will be on the cafe beat every other day.
“I want to study to be a barista or a baker,” Rita May said.
Tara Beck, an interpreter in American sign language, helped Adrian Sandoval prove that deafness is no deterrent in dealing with customers.
Njal Schold, supervisor of student services in District 9-R, welcomed visitors and oversaw the cutting of the ribbon by 9-R Superintendent Dan Snowberger and Rita May.
“This is a dream come true,” Schold said. “It’s the missing piece that we’ve been looking for.”
Ken Thers and Robynn Moore, who own Hot Tomatoes Cafe & Catering on Colorado Highway 3, ran the library coffee stand from April through December 2013, with their daughter, Bailey, on the premises.
It didn’t work out, Thers said last week.
“We were counting on catering for group meetings at the library,” Thers said. “But we just didn’t get the business.”
An earlier concessionaire couldn’t cut it financially either with sales to library patrons, employees at nearby offices, users of the Animas River Trail and people wanting a quiet place to chat.
Adrea Bogle, a transition coordinator at the San Juan BOCES, said the Common Grounds Café will be no different from any other coffee shop.
“We’ll buy baked products from Bread and coffee from Desert Sun Coffee Roasters at their regular price and sell at the going rate,” Bogle said. “We’re not paying rent now, but that could change after we do an assessment three months along.”
The stand will be open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday with sandwiches, yogurt, chips, fruit and cold drinks in addition to coffee and pastries.
An estimated 70 of about 130 special-needs students at DHS are eligible for work experience, Bogle said. A number of them will work at Common Grounds, she said.
Students at the coffee stand will be used according to their ability, she said. Eventually, some can be involved in ordering, pricing and running the cash register. Others will wipe down tables and clean up the commons area, she said.
The cafe, through its supportive environment, fills a gap between schoolwork and experience in the business world, Bogle said.
“I hope businesses in town can use us as a model,” Bogle said. “They can see how we operate and learn about hiring people with disabilities.”
Joy Hammock, who works with special-needs students at DHS, will be the on-site manager.
Sandy Irwin, assistant library director, is thinking there’s something to the cliché about the third time being the charm.
“We had two commercial tenants who decided they couldn’t make it,” Irwin said. “We were looking again when we were approached by BOCES.
“We felt their proposal fit the needs of all involved,” Irwin said. “We wanted a long-term coffee-shop tenant, BOCES needed a place for instruction and the students have the opportunity to learn work skills.”
Library patrons have shown a positive attitude about the whole concept, Irwin said.
San Juan BOCES and District 9-R are in the process of becoming an Alternative Cooperative Education program through the Colorado Community College System.
daler@durangoherald.com
