Staring at the schedule at Colin’s Coffee on April 1st I thought to myself, “This is going to be a long month.” I’m sure most folks felt the same way. Thankfully, it’s almost over and hopefully we can get moving in a positive direction in the near future. As far as the coffee shop goes, I’ve got many people to thank for helping us pull through this time.

Thank you to our amazing customers who have been both patient & generous to each other and our staff. We have had zero problems with social distancing and people still find some time for a quick chat or to check in on a friend. If there is anything essential about Colin’s Coffee it’s being able to provide a little human interaction on a daily basis. I know for a fact that for some people, this is the only place they visit all day. And the tips have been off the charts: the staff and myself can’t thank you enough.

Speaking of customers, a couple of different folks told me I should investigate the Upper Arlington Community Foundation and inquire about their Good Neighbor fund. After some prodding, I sent an email to the website, answered a few questions and within two days they offered to pay my rent due on May 1st. WHAT A HUGE RELIEF!!! So one million thanks to the good people and donors at UACF.

Along those lines, thanks to the #maskedcrusader (Michelle Salsberry), a UA citizen who has been making & selling masks and then donating the profits to local causes and businesses. Colin’s Coffee was lucky to be visited by the #maskedcrusader and receive a donation on her behalf. It was completely unexpected and totally appreciated.

Thanks to our incredible staff here at the coffee shop. When the month of April started and the lockdown was in full effect, I decided it was best for safety purposes to work completely alone. I didn’t want to put anyone else in harm’s way and I knew I could stay away from other people and not put any customers at risk. Plus, it made economic sense to just go DIY full-survival mode. I can work free and apply what money we made to covering bills and keeping the lights on. It’s a lot like touring the country in a van with Watershed, just covering expenses is a win. Lucky for us, all six of our employees are currently live at home and nobody has mortgages or kids or any serious bills to play. They understood the plan that once we survived the lockdown we could hopefully return to normal. Keeping healthy and keeping the lights on were the top two priorities.

Thanks to my wife for suggesting that we use an extra phone we had sitting around at home to set up a Colin’s Coffee text-line. This has been a game changer. With people sitting 15 cars deep in the Starbucks drive-thru, many have started texting their orders to us. We respond to confirm with an estimated pick-up time. We even offer curbside for those that want to stay outside. Details are at the Colin’s Coffee Facebook Page. With the help of the text-line we have shifts available for employees who are able to work, so that is a step in the right direction.

Thanks to Mike Dewine, Jon Husted and Dr. Amy Acton for their excellent leadership. Who knew this was coming? I did. Thanks to them. I happened to catch an early press conference before things got really crazy, but I could tell from listening to them (and following the real news myself) that I better get stocked up in advance for cleaning supplies & cups and mentally prepare for what was coming our way. Their intelligent and decisive leadership in the early stages was very helpful to a small business owner like myself.

Anyway, thanks to all who have helped Colin’s Coffee through this uncertain time. We couldn’t have survived without you. - Colin G 4/30/20

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