Northeast Arc To Hold Pop Up Cafe In Marblehead

MARBLEHEAD, MA – Nearly a year after Northeast Arc opened their first cafe in Peabody, the nonprofit is expanding again with a pop up cafe in Marblehead. Breaking Grounds will open a month-long pop up cafe at the Jewish Community Center of the North Shore.

Breaking Grounds offers job training to people with disabilities as part of Northeast Arc's employment services programming. The cafe trains the Arc's clients in customer and food services, and gives them material for their resumes. Since its opening in 2016, the cafe has built a roster of regular customers.

According to a press release, the satellite Breaking Grounds at the JCC will operate from Aug. 1 to Sept. 8, from 7 to 11 a.m., Monday through Friday.

"This second cafe provides more opportunities for people we support," said Tim Brown, Director of Innovation and Strategy, Northeast Arc. "The JCC location will be set up differently than our Peabody location which will allow us to assist people in assimilating skills learned from one location to another. For the hosts, this opportunity provides another valuable learning experience in helping to prepare for future employment by teaching how to transfer skills learned at the Main Street location."

Breaking Grounds at the Jewish Community Center will offer the same coffee and espresso bar, smoothies, unique soft drinks, pastries and sweets that customers have come to enjoy at the Peabody cafe.

"During the summer months, our café moves outdoors so having Breaking Grounds provide refreshments for our members during this time is of great benefit to us," said Martin Schneer, Executive Director, Jewish Community Center of the North Shore in Marblehead. "We hope that this is the beginning of many partnerships with the Northeast Arc."

Brown said Arc has been considering opening a second location, and the pop up will help them learn how to operate multiple sites.

Patch file photo, Breaking Grounds in Peabody