TAMPA, Fla. -- On Friday, Oct. 29, with tears in her eyes, Karen Lowman told her patrons that she just started a full-time job at a call center to keep the doors open.
Lowman is owner and operator at Sacred Grounds Coffee House, 4819 E. Busch Blvd. As Tampa's oldest independent coffee shop, it has seen the economic ups and downs in the 14 years that it has been open.
"When the gas and the housing market started on the decline, that is when it affected us," Lowman said. The coffee shop has taken on $10,000 of debt since the economic downturn. Lowman said that if money was most important to her, she would have closed the shop long ago.
The majority of the coffee sold at Sacred Grounds Coffee House is fair trade and the espresso is organic. About 95 percent of the teas are fair trade and organic as well. Sacred Grounds also offers a variety of other menu items: shakes and light fare foods, veggie wraps, vegan, vegetarian, and two items for meat eaters.
Like many of the independent coffee shops in the area, Sacred Grounds has strong ties to the community. It provides a non-alcoholic based venue for people to gather and share with each other. Lowman that over the years, the shop has helped many people.
In addition to taking a full-time job, Lowman decided to move the shop to help keep the doors open. Lowman said that sometime in December, the shop will relocate to the Center for Spiritual Living at 4600 E. Busch Blvd. Lowman hopes that the moving the shop will open up the possibilities to serve the community, as well as support and encourage creativity among patrons.
Sacred Grounds hosted a community event on Oct. 29 called "Voices of Courage" to raise awareness for violence against women. The event was sponsored by the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. Women and men shared their stories of survival through poetry, music and art.
CEO of the Crisis Center David Braughton said that Sacred Grounds was very accommodating to the Crisis Center’s cause. “And how appropriate,” said Braughton, “sacred grounds.”
Lowman regularly provides an open mic night at Sacred Grounds Coffee Shop to support and encourage creativity among patrons. Artists perform their own material, nothing that is copyrighted. This is another example of Sacred Grounds emphasizing intrinsic value over monetary value.
