New cafe and coffee roastery that will double as community nonprofit coming to South Side

Rending courtesy of Neighborhood Design Group

A new coffee shop and roastery will be opening soon on the the South Side of Columbus, and it’s bringing a whole lot more than just a good cup of Joe.

The South End Cafe, a combination cafe and workforce development nonprofit, is coming to 1951 Parsons Ave. It’s slated to officially open its doors in early May.

The new concept is a venture from Church and Community Development for All People, a prolific Columbus-based community non-profit. CD4AP is converting the South Side building into affordable apartment units, and plans to launch The South End Cafe on its first floor.

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“We have three goals with the cafe, to provide a community gathering space and to provide access to healthy food, but more importantly to provide employment opportunities to people who have been out of the work force or are having trouble breaking into it,” said Michael Premo, Director of Engagement at CD4AP

The cafe, which will offer a restaurant space, coffee-based drinks, and will even serve as a coffee roaster, will employ a staff of seven to ten workers, who will receive entry-level vocational skills both for the general workforce, but also for specific career paths they have interest in.

“We’ll prepare people for the workforce, and leverage experience with one of our community partners who will hopefully help them get on a career path they’re passionate about,” Premo said. “A lot of employers right now are looking for entry-level folks, and we would vouch for them.”

According to Premo, staff members would likely be with at The South End for several months before transitioning into new employment that CD4AP help them obtain.

“Our experience tells us the biggest barrier to getting a job is having a job, so we’re going to start working on transitioning our employees right away,” he said. “We’re looking to have a 100 percent turnover rate. In a good way.”

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