This cafe was born of a dream and a desire to make sure our girls, and others like them, who can't work in a standard work capacity have an employment option as they get older. We have big plans for this cafe and we can't wait to push it to it's full potential. We hope that day comes sooner rather than later, but you'll have to stay tuned for more details on that as opportunities present themselves and more options become available.
So why are we doing this now, if we can't do it all the way?
Sometimes, especially for someone like me, it's truly best to just get started. Do something that moves you in the desired direction. We won't even call it the right direction at this point, because we don't know if it is or not. But it's a direction. A decision. One step in front of the other.
This week, we got a phone call that changed what we had planned for Samantha over the summer. Due to their special needs, two of our girls attend summer school as part of their IEPs. This is fantastic for them because it allows them to stay in the routine of school and gives them something productive to do outside of the house for most of the week. Unfortunately for Samantha, there are not enough teachers to fill the need this summer, and instead of attending in person, they are going to send some work home for her to do.
On the same day, we happened to make a phone call about the availability of a unit at the local flea market. They had one available, and it's first come first serve to secure them. We hopped in the car and went to take a look at the one available. While we were standing in the stall mapping out various options, we decided to launch the cafe in a limited capacity as a summer project for Samantha.
Samantha's dream is to work in a bakery. In our current and temporary location, we are very limited on what we're allowed to sell, and we can't really run any appliances-a few hurdles that make running the cafe at full capacity a non-starter. However, this gets us started. It gives Samantha some real life application into the bakery world, and we can bring her behind the scenes with us to learn some of the basic concepts behind owning a business and making decisions for that business.
For now, Samantha will bake and pre-package healthier than average treats and create some one of a kind art and different craft projects that we will sell in our booth. As we grow, and with your support, we will expand our offerings! We are also working on a next stage of this website so that we can offer all of the kids' creations virtually, but for now, one thing at a time!
Please be patient with us as we get set up and get things going! We are truly learning as we go so we can do more and be more!
