Making Room for Community
1979 was created with a goal of helping people feel like they belong, like they're at home. Grace has been on a mission to do just that for her entire life.
As we chatted in comfy chairs at 1979 Coffee, I realized that Grace Harrison had intentionally, thoughtfully cultivated this environment within Woodmen’s Rockrimmon campus in a way that helps people feel a sense of belonging, like they’re at home.
1979 Coffee is not the first welcoming space Grace has created for folks to gather. You might call her a serial entrepreneur, but her focus is always on providing environments where anyone can feel known and cared for. In addition to her role in helping Woodmen operate 1979, Grace is also the driving force behind Peak Place, a popular café just off of North Academy Boulevard in Colorado Springs. If you’ve enjoyed a visit to Peak Place, you understand just how special Grace’s vision for hospitality and community is.
“People need to feel like they have an army behind them — like they have people on their team,” Grace shared. The high value Grace places on community not only drives her businesses, it also infuses the way she lives her life.
CREATING CONNECTION
In a world where technology promises more connection than ever, our lives can feel more and more isolated. Too often, we compare ourselves to others on social media and begin to believe that virtual relationships can take the place of true friends who are present in our lives in deep and meaningful ways. We’re left feeling empty. In this culture of loneliness, “living rooms” like the ones Grace creates can satisfy a crucial need to be known.
Recently, I savored an iced coffee with almond milk at Peak Place, spending time with my daughter and grandsons, one of whom was not feeling well. A kind-hearted barista took time to show the four-year-old the “library,” where he chose a book for his mom to read. It calmed both boys and made them comfortable.
How did the barista learn to do this? Grace shares the values that were part of her home as she grew up. She’s never known life without dozens of people in her home on a regular basis. In her formative years, Grace’s parents opened their home to entertain and minister to countless friends, colleagues and strangers from around the world. As the oldest of four, her “aha” moment came at age ten. She remembers it well: “I made this signature chocolate sheet cake for a large group.” Grace loved making it, but she delighted more in watching others enjoy it.
“I want to show up for people, to be their biggest fan, to be all-in and say, ‘Yes!’ as much as possible. Life is short — I don’t want to have regrets,” Grace shared. This attitude inspired her to step out of her comfort zone by opening Peak Place. At the time, her background was in real estate and apart from enjoying a cup of coffee, Grace knew nothing about the business. But she didn’t let that stop her! What she did know was how to make people feel special and at ease.
As she contemplated opening the business, Grace asked herself, “What would people benefit from the most?” Even now, after six years of Peak Place, Grace continues to research and learn. After opening a local coffee roastery, Hold Fast Coffee Co, three years ago, she took her team to Costa Rica to study coffee every step of the way from the soil to the cup.
DREAMERS AND DOERS
Grace wants her team to feel as connected as her customers do. Making people feel valued is the goal. Life is hard and messy, but she seeks to extend grace to her staff and to herself in the process. Working together is a big part of the solution. Grace is willing to listen to her team and let them have a voice in how things are done, and the result is a great work environment.
At the same time, Grace is thrilled when people move on to follow their dreams. Even after they leave, many return to grab coffee or work in the shop. Recently she counted five former employees visiting Peak Place at the same time. Grace and her husband, Logan, like to stay connected with the team and love “showing up” to support them.
These values were fostered in Grace by her parents and through her relationship with Jesus. Grace grew up in Christian home, watching her parents be “open-armed and open-handed.” They lived out a faith that paired grace and truth. Her parents’ friends also influenced her significantly. Because of this community, she “never felt like she was on an island.” Grace watched her parents and their friends do life together which gave her the security to follow her dad’s encouragement to “live life to the fullest!”
CRAFTING A CULTURE
Coffee culture aligns beautifully with the kind of life Grace feels called to live out: There’s an emphasis on community and deep conversations. Coffee invites people to slow down and get to know their neighbors. Grace sees the connection between the culture she’s creating and her faith. She’s attended and served at Woodmen since 2014. And Grace and her husband, Logan, share friendships that fuel their faith as part of a Woodmen Community Group.
Grace hopes to serve and value people in each of her business ventures in ways that align with the heart of God. If Grace provides places where customers can gather and share their stories, then there’s opportunity for community to grow and the gospel to flourish. Kindness and caring are always on the menu.
She has many examples of customers and staff who’ve had a taste of God’s love through something as simple as an inviting environment and great cup of coffee. Grace knows that if she and her team can go above and beyond in serving others, people will notice and ask why!
From a customer struggling to writing his mom’s eulogy, to a friend battling with addiction, to a toddler needing attention, Grace nurtures the environments where people can gather to tell their stories, find a home away from home, and maybe even begin to discover the way the fit into God’s bigger story.
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