COLUMBIA, S.C. — A new coffee shop is opening in Columbia, and it will serve up much more than a cup of joe.
"Our coffee shops exist to show the world what's possible when you employ people with disabilities, and so our shops are run primarily by people with disabilities," said Amy Wright, co-founder of Bitty & Beau’s Coffee. "They do every bit of running the shop, from taking orders to making drinks to calling out the orders."
Wright has two children with Down Syndrome, 17-year-old son Beau and 12-year-old daughter Bitty. They are who the coffee shop is named after.
"Sadly 80% of people with disabilities are unemployed in our country, and we wanted to be part of the solution and really change those statistics, create a place for our kids to work one day and for all of their friends and for everyone else that needs a job," Wright said.
Wright said they started franchising, from Waco to Boston about a year ago. Now, Bitty & Beau’s Coffee is coming to Columbia, hopefully by the fall.
"We take a lot of time with that process in discerning whether we're a good fit as franchisee and franchisor, and we just felt really good about this family we connected with in Columbia," Wright said.
Wright hopes to secure a location for the shop in the coming weeks.
No resume is required to apply for a job, just a good attitude and willingness to learn. For more details about employment, you can visit their website here.