For those living in West St. Paul, Amore Coffee has been the neighborhood coffee shop for several years. But for young high school students in the community, it’s more than just a hangout spot to meet with friends and get homework done.
Owner Tara Wright has made it a place where students, mainly high school girls, can have their first job opportunities and build lifelong skills that will help them in future jobs.
“We don’t turn people away from employment; they may have to wait to get in for a spot,” said Wright. “But a lot of times, young girls who are very shy or timid of their mental health will come to me just because of my reputation in the neighborhood and the work that I do with them. And then we build them up and send them on.”
Wright’s efforts to help students secure their first job and develop career readiness skills are what led Elpis to discover their work and recognize its similarity to what we do. This is what brought Elpis and Amore together through the bean bag project, where they sold custom-designed, reusable coffee bean bags made by Elpis for Amore.
“The bags sell really well. The fact I’m always sold out and I’m a little bit overwhelmed by it, but Paul stops by every couple of months to drop off more, and he’s so good at what he does… We have them on the shelves, and we might have a couple of dozen at a time, and they sell out right away,” said Wright.
The popularity of the reusable bags at Amore has been a fruitful part of their partnership with Elpis, but knowing they are accomplishing the same mission of giving youth lifelong employment skills is what truly makes this a partnership worth fostering.
“The youth are the future, so the fact that we’re supporting them and teaching them valuable skills and business skills, I think, is huge. I don’t work specifically with houseless youth, but indirectly with people, young women, who need skill-building in different aspects. Whether it’s self-esteem, being able to talk to a stranger, that kind of stuff. But just the fact that he’s giving back and helping, like he found a spot where there’s a need and helping people with that type of stuff.”
Providing good caffeinated drinks and tasty snacks is an important part of any coffee shop, but for Amore. It’s more than just that, and a place where the youth can grow, whether they are working behind the counter or taking part in the free homework help program on Sundays at Amore. Partnering with a non-profit such as Elpis, which does the same with different youth demographics in the community, makes Amore more than just a coffee shop.
“To me it’s, you know, you may see, I don’t want to say proud, but it makes me feel good that I’m giving back in multiple facets. The fact that we have a great space, that I can use this platform to do even more good, it feels good to me to be in the business.”
