A new nonprofit teahouse in east Loveland is hoping to offer not only drinks and sweets to local residents but the chance for local people with varying disabilities to try out a different kind of job, learning new skills and honing existing ones.
Avery’s Modern Teahouse aims to be “an inclusive place where individuals with disabilities have a place to thrive while empowering the Northern Colorado community to be a part of their experience,” according to its website.
The idea for the teahouse came as an evolution from Avery’s Light, a preexisting nonprofit created by Kristen Bland in honor of her daughter Avery who lives with extensive special needs. She said that when Avery was born, she realized that while there are a lot of resources for people living with special needs, there was still more help needed. The nonprofit, she said, works to bring resources to the special needs community to help everyone thrive.
During a Christmas event the nonprofit holds, she heard a large gap in the special needs community is available jobs.
“That is when Avery’s Modern Teahouse came to light,” she said. “We were like ‘let’s give these (people) employment and an area to really thrive.’”
She said the teahouse — which initially started as a coffee house but transitioned to a teahouse when Bland realized there were not as many teahouses in Northern Colorado — said the location will function like any other, serving drinks and small treats for people to enjoy. But beyond that, it will not only give the community the chance to interact with people who live with special needs or disabilities, but also give those with disabilities who come to work there the chance to learn and grow their skills. Bland said the employees with disabilities will be doing work any barista would do at a teahouse, from making and bringing drinks to customers and running the cash register.
She said between the regular teahouse operations, the space is expected to be used as a gathering and event location for bridal parties, birthdays and more, giving those who work there more chances to hone different skills.
For now, the nonprofit has partnered with the School to Work Alliance Program to bring people in to work at the teahouse. The SWAP program functions as a collaborative initiative between the Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, local school districts and the Board of Cooperative Educational Services that is supported by the Colorado Department of Education, according to the program’s website.
The program is mean to “assist young adults in making the transition from school to employment, provide successful employment outcomes, increase community linkages and new patterns of service for young adults within all categories of disabilities.”
Jason Hanford, student support services coordinator at the Thompson School District and the supervisor of the district’s SWAP program, said what Avery’s is doing is a great opportunity not only for TSD students, but for the community at large.
“In the end, the work we do is about each student becoming a meaningful part of our community,” he wrote in an email to the Reporter-Herald. “Avery’s Teahouse is creating an authentic opportunity for individuals of all abilities to work and grow alongside each other. We are proud to partner with Avery’s Teahouse, and hope this is just the first of many more opportunities like this.”
“From the beginning, Kristen has said ‘we are not saying no to anyone,’” said Sarah Gipe, the teahouse’s general manager. “Everybody is welcome to work here, everyone is welcome to come in here and I think that is a big piece I have held on to since the beginning.”
Bland added, though, that she sees what she is doing as a stepping stone. She said she recognizes that many of the people who come through won’t find a forever career in the teahouse, but instead will learn and perfect their skills to take them forward. From there, Bland said, the teahouse can bring in more people with disabilities to give them the same experience.
“Our goal is to constantly be making these (people) flourish and learning and then they (can be) like ’I am really good at these tasks, so I can go and offer these tasks to another business’ and we can bring in more (people),” she said.
More information on Avery’s Modern Teahouse, 5685 McWhinney Blvd., can be found at averysteahouse.com. Bland said the team hopes to open the teahouse to the public in late February.
