It will be the fourth year for Denver to participate in the nationwide showcase, which runs Friday, March 15 through Sunday, March 24.
DENVER — When Hewan Kassa, and her mom, Freweyni Beyene, first started their coffee shop and microroastery in Aurora, business started to grow organically.
And two and a half years later, Kassa said they were hitting their stride — until the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
The Endless Grind Coffee shop at 17070 E. Quincy Ave. was set up as a place for people to gather. Kassa estimates that 80% of their business were customers looking to have meetings over coffee or visit with friends in the shop.
Following the pandemic business closures, Endless Grind reopened with family members taking shifts. But the pandemic hit them hard, Kassa said. Despite all the pandemic-related relief money available, she said they only qualified for about $2,000. The only way they survived, she said, was the leniency of their landlord.
“We heard other businesses were getting much more than we did,” Kassa said. “What did keep us alive was our landlords being understanding.”
Now almost four years later, business is growing again. But Kassa said her business doesn’t have the resources to market the coffee shop effectively. And rising costs pose a challenge.
> Read the full story at the Denver Business Journal.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS
> Do you have a news tip on this story or any other story? We want to hear from you! Tell us about it by emailing newstips@9news.com.
