Staff photo by Dan Henry/Chattanooga Times Free Press - October 24, 2011. Shannon Greer, owner of Cadence Coffee Co., uses an ipad as a cash register to ring up a customer just one week after opening in 2011.Owner: Shannon Greer, pastor of RiverChurch, which he established in 2009. While working as a barista, Greer saw a way to take his faith to the streets by serving others, and anyone familiar with the cafe can see the impact it's had on the community.
Date opened: October 2011
Mocha ministry: The cafe has become a haven for the homeless, who are welcome to drop by for a cup of coffee at no cost, especially when the weather gets cold. The ministry works through a "pay it forward" system where customers can choose to pay $2 in addition to their order to buy a drink for someone else. Each customer who donates leaves a note tacked to the wall, which serves to uplift its recipient and signal that there's a cup of coffee waiting for them. "It's just cool to see the generosity and also the heart [people have] to just impact someone else that they don't even know," said Jacob Carter, operations manager.
Partnerships: Fridays are usually the cafe's busiest day of the week, and on one Friday each month, a portion of the cafe's sales is donated to local nonprofit Mustard Tree Ministries to help feed the homeless over the weekend. Cadence Coffee also partners with Second Life Chattanooga, which works to end human sex trafficking in Tennessee, by providing the organization with a venue in which to hold seminars. "We're always looking for more opportunities to plug in and see how we can help in the community," Carter said.
Coffee: Even while tackling social injustices, Cadence Coffee still finds time to brew an amazing cup of coffee. The secret? Community. The cafe gets its freshly roasted beans hand delivered weekly from Mayfly Coffee on Signal Mountain.
Location: 11 E. Seventh St. But with cozy couches, rugs, an old record player and a red piano anyone is welcome to play, it feels a lot more like home, said Carter.
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Keep in touch: Connect with Cadence Coffee on Facebook for information about special Friday night events, which range from live musical performances to board game nights.