A love note to coffee and community

To witness Flagstaff wake up is a gift.

Dear Coffee,

It’s 6am. You are amongst the first thoughts that roll into my mind as I wiggle awake and unlock the doors to my second home- Kickstand Kafe.

The peace of the morning is enhanced by the velvety full bodied aroma of the first deliciously pulled espresso shot.

Powered by solar energy and perfectly timed to encompass the delicious balance of sweet and bitter, — you are not just a cup of coffee — you are a positive choice.

Brewed with a specifically chosen brand of environmentally sustainable beans, each sip is a conscious journey cultivated into one precious moment. And oh! How increasingly precious these moments have become.

Holding onto your warmth in my hands on this crisp fresh Flagstaff morning, the community awakens and slowly enters with the tranquil beginnings of the day to come.

A hazy yet lively meeting point in between home and the shenanigans of functioning society. The beauty of a small business begins here.

Running a local coffee shop is like being the jumper cables to the pulse of a city. The neighborly faces of teachers, students, sports teams, entrepreneurs, old friends, musicians, first dates, business folk, remote workers, hobby groups, and families all gather into one place to coexist with familiar acquaintances and jump start their day together.

Many of them are on a first name basis with our wonderful family — like staff, as approximately 70% of our customers are regulars. The remaining 30% will feel like regulars and perhaps become one for just a little while.

To witness Flagstaff wake up is a gift.

While customers sip on a cup of either Illy coffee or a weekly selected and locally roasted Single Speed coffee, they can decide on meals and snacks to enjoy from our extensive list of local artisanal goodies.

Be it a sandwich on Biff’s Bagels, scones from Village Baker, Mountainaire Sweet Breads, gluten free goodies from Rise and Shine Bakers, locally brewed Kombucha from Rock Stacker, and even something for the pups with Woof66 dog treats that uses spent grains from Mother Road Brewing Co., the trickle-down effect of community support goes beyond our locally owned and operated coffee shop and into the ambitions and dreams of other locally owned businesses.

We all benefit each other like the microclimate we are.

As the bean roasts, there is yet another more subtle way in which supporting a small coffee shop benefits us all. Each year we are lucky to be able to choose a handful of new and returning local organizations to sponsor and caffeinate. Gaspin’ in the Aspen, Flagstaff Biking Organization, Bear Jaw Groove and Flagstaff Unified School District to name a few. Our most recent choices are the Go Big for Parkinson’s run and the Pillage in the Village disc gold tournament at the Arizona Nordic Village which are coming up soon, so get your cups ready!

Or perhaps you are wanting to sit back and enjoy the delightful sounds of some of Flagstaff’s most talented musicians. In that case, you could catch the Interference Series on a select evening. Kickstand After Hours is a completely rentable space that provides a platform for musicians and artists to host their unique events.

So as you see, supporting a local coffee shop goes beyond the livelihood of one happy business, it is support for the health of the entire community and the freedom of market choice.

And did I mention delicious coffee? Definitely coffee.

We love coffee.

So coffee, you have come a long way since Kaldi, the goat herder, discovered you in the forests on the Ethiopian plateau and overcoming the several countries that banned you on your way to becoming the world’s favorite beverage.

For that, we honor you once again on September 29th also known as National Coffee Day.

Heather Overton, Kickstand Kafe General Manager

Guillermo Cortes, Kickstand Kafe Owner and 1995 Alum

Catherine Chabot, Kickstand Kafe Co-Owner