How It Came to Be

Welcome to the Community Coffeehouse, a cozy, welcoming place, where residents and visitors gather to enjoy a good cup of java, locally-made pastries, and lively conversation—a meeting place and an experience where art, culture and great coffee come together. The Coffeehouse embodies the Center’s mission to enrich the lives of our community and its visitors and has helped weave together all that the Center has to offer. While sipping your beverage, enjoy the beauty of the art gallery, featuring local artists and monthly rotating exhibits. Maybe even take home that special piece of art that speaks to you.

The Community Coffeehouse didn’t happen overnight. It was a mission of love, bringing together the Cortez Rotary, the Center’s Executive Director, Shere Holleman, and Board Member Sherry Owen-Siekman. The project began with research on coffee beans and local roasters, coffee tastings, visits to other coffee shops, learning about Espresso machines, and finding the furniture and necessary equipment. It required learning how to run a coffeehouse, how to make all those fancy drinks, and how to become and train baristas. Reaching out to the Rotary members and people they knew put community into the Community Coffeehouse. Volunteer baristas, who were learning a marketable skill, and volunteer bakers supported the coffeehouse from the beginning. It was truly “all volunteer built.”

Discover this feeling of community, in the heart of Cortez, by visiting the Cultural Center Community Coffeehouse. You (and your ideas) are always welcome here.

All revenue generated from the Coffeehouse project goes to support the Cultural Center’s free programming and resources for the public.