Coffee Loft Opens On North Trail

When you walk into the church-owned Coffee Loft on North Trail, staff will push beans and not beliefs toward customers.

The new hangout, which held its grand opening Friday, stirs cups of Joe with compassion through a unique partnership with Bradenton's Woodland Community Church that wanted to open of a coffee shop that made a difference in the community.

Though it's tabbed as a Christian coffee shop, the mission of helping and serving the community is what matters to staff, said manager Daniel Campana, and no matter what religion you are. 

"We're not just here to serve coffee, but we're here to serve a purpose and a mission," Campana said.

Commitment to College Students and Arts

The Coffee Loft, 5025 N. Tamiami Trail, will cater to college students at nearby , , University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee and East West College of Natural Medicine, but it's also opening its doors to non-profits and other community groups as a gathering space and for partnerships. And since college students are looking to live on the cheap, students and faculty will receive an ongoing 10 percent discount.  

The college connection makes sense for Woodland Community Church, senior Woodland Pastor Tim Passmore said. The church is business partners with about 10 public schools in Manatee and Sarasota County and had more than 30,000 books donated to those schools. But what didn't make sense was there wasn't a chill place for the college students on the county border to congregate to study and stay awhile, and that's where the actual loft at Coffee Loft comes in.

"There's a loft where people can come and be and learn, and we're using it for many purposes so people can grow," Passmore said.

Part of that growing is allowing students to use upstairs as a performance space.

From 8 to 11 a.m. on Wednesdays, the coffee shop partnered with Ringling art students to have an open art studio where art students can hang out to paint, draw, and the shop hopes that in turn, students donate some of the work to auction off to fundraise for the programs the Coffee Loft benefits, Passmore said. Musicians of all genres are welcome to play on the loft's stage, he added.

"Now some of those people who do it, we may question why did we let you do it, right?" Passmore said jokingly. "We still want them to get better."

Neighborhood Revitalization

Campana expanded on the local commitment to businesses.

"We're not just excited because we have great coffee, but what it represents is a commitment to honor the community to buy and use fair trade organic coffee through local supplies and great bakers like Old Heidelberg Bakery, whose been around this town for a long time and using great coffee like Java Dog, we're committed to our community," Campana said.

But while Coffee Loft is extending its hand across the area with suppliers, it's extending its hand in the immediate community that's in need of a facelift, and is starting to get one. The new Goodwill super store broke ground earlier last week cattycorner from the coffee shop and down on Myrtle Street, the Walmart Neighborhood Market is taking shape.

In perhaps an ironic twist, this building that is looking for rebirth of a neighborhood was once the All Women's Health Center of Sarasota that performed abortions.

Buildings themselves won't solve the social ills of the community, as Passmore has discovered. It's communicating.

"This community needs revitalization. Believe me, we've already learned that in the three weeks we've been open through the traffic that has walked by, hung out on our property and tried to do other types of businesses that might not be as good for the community," Passmore said. "What we've been able to do is reach out is reach out with love and concern to people already to help revitalize this area."

But what the shop has done so far, city officials are thankful.

"Welcome to the neighborhood," Mayor Suzanne Atwell said. "When I saw this brochure for The Coffee Loft, under the heading is 'Coffee, Community and Culture.' That's what it's all about. You add value to this community."

Community Programs

The non-profit part comes in with community programs. All profits from the coffee shop will go to two programs, Passmore said.

One program is Charity Water, which builds wells around the world to provide clean drinking water, as well as partnering with Sarasota and Manatee County food banks, Passmore said. The church serves as a distribution center for the food banks.

However, no money goes to Woodland Community Church's congregation, he said. The shop is in the process to make The Coffee Loft to become a separate non-profit, independent of the church's congregation, Passmore said.

Other organizations are welcome to use the space, and one, Taking Back Lives, an organization which helps with schooling in African communities, is already using the coffee shop for meetings.

Hours

The Coffee Loft, located at 5025 N. Tamiami Trail, is open:

• Monday – Thursday:  7 a.m. – 10 p.m.
• Friday:  7 a.m. – 11 p.m.
• Saturday:  8 a.m. – 11 p.m.
• Sunday:  8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

To learn more about the Coffee Loft visit, www.CoffeeLoft41.com or find them on Facebook at Facebook.com/coffeeloft41. Or call 706-4047.