"Ian Edgar, 26, said he applied for his job because he wanted a comfortable environment to gain some work experience. Edgar, who has cerebral palsy, works part-time at the shop as a cashier and barista.
“I like being able to talk to people,” he said. “I could talk to people all day long.”
- Detroit News
METROMODE
Ribbon cutting planned for Livonia coffee shop dedicated to hiring those with disabilities A shopping center at a busy intersection in Livonia. There’s a party store. A take-out restaurant that specializes in pasties. That’s about as Michigan as it gets, right there. Its newest tenant is Anastasia and Katie’s Coffee Shop. From the outside, it’s a coffee shop like any other. The menu includes fresh coffee and the espresso-based drinks one might expect. There are breakfast sandwiches and soups and salads. Anastasia and Katie’s, however, is far from typical. It’s a coffee shop with a purpose. That’s because Anastasia and Katie’s is run by Mi Work Matters, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing employment opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. The coffee shop does just that.
DETROIT NEWS
Livonia coffee shop a springboard for workers with disabilities.
Livonia — Danielle Donaldson greets her coffee shop customers with a cheerful “good morning” as they walk through the door. She rings up their orders on a tablet and makes change for those paying with cash for their brewed beverages.
For Donaldson, 36, working at Anastasia and Katie's Coffee Shop and Café, is much more than a job. As a person with a disability, Donaldson said it’s a way for her to learn skills as a cashier, barista and sandwich artist.
WWJ NEWS RADIO
Grand Opening Held At Livonia Coffee Shop That Hires Employees With Special Needs "We are strong and good" is their motto.
HOMETOWN LIFE
Anastasia and Katie's Coffee Shop opens in Livonia
CLICK ON DETROIT
A new coffee shop in Livonia is brewing up something more than a cup of joe -- it’s serving up job opportunities to people who might struggle to find them elsewhere.
METRO PARENT
Anastasia and Katie’s Coffee Shop & Café in Livonia is an Inclusive Workplace.
Anastasia Rockwell and Katie Duffy, both 13, are the inspiration behind Anastasia and Katie’s Coffee Shop & Café – a new, hip and inclusive coffee shop in Livonia.
Both of these local teens have Down Syndrome and their parents, who met at a parents of people with Down Syndrome support group, want to make sure they are getting the same employment opportunities as those without developmental disabilities.
TELEGRAM NEWS
Ian Edgar loves people and enjoys interacting with others. Come the week of December 2, the young man will have the opportunity to polish up his people skills when his new workplace, Anastasia and Katie's Coffee Shop & Cafe opens for business in Livonia. "I would like to work at the front of the restaurant 'cause I could talk to people all day long," the Livonia resident says with a laugh.