In November 2009, Scottsdale’s Old Town Bible Church opened Sola Coffee Bar. It wasn’t an unusual move — many churches operate cafes on or near their campuses. But a mere year after its opening, the faith-based coffee shop has transformed into a neighborhood beacon that is anything but typical.
Funded and operated by the church, Sola’s employees originally worked on a volunteer basis. During the shop's first three months, tips and profits went to relief aid in Haiti, says Sola manager Heath Taylor.
“What sets us apart from other independent coffee shops is that we are non-profit," he says.
Sola has also donated profits to assist a girl with brain cancer and an organization in Phoenix called Branded, a faith-based non-profit working to stop child sex trafficking.
Outfitted with couches, coffee tables and walls adorned with work by local artists, Sola extends an immediate welcoming atmosphere. Books linger on tables and a vinyl player sits ready for customers to play. The espresso bar is simplistic and menu items are scrawled across a large chalkboard. The atmosphere is laid-back, inviting and, more than anything, humble — much like the café’s beginnings.
Old Town Bible Church didn't have office space for Taylor, who is also a pastor at the church. So instead of setting himself up behind a cramped corner desk, Taylor and others decided to become more of an asset to the community.
“We wanted to open a coffee shop for local artists to come in and share their stuff and be more of a benefit to the community,” Taylor says. “Fortunately, at the church we have a lot of very knowledgeable and gifted ‘coffee snobs’ so we got started from there.”
Taylor says since Sola’s opening a year ago, the shop has seen a 400 percent increase in sales.
“Everything in the shop is local," says Emily Harrington, who began working at Sola about two months ago. "They use a lot of local artists for decorative purposes. This means that local artists can come in and sell their work without having to pay commission to us because we aren’t a gallery."
Promoting local people and businesses seems to be the key to Sola's success. All of the coffee is from Cartel Coffee Lab, a similar coffee spot in Tempe. Sola also receives pastries from The Herb Box and other local outlets, Harrington says.
“We are the anti-Starbucks,” Taylor says. “We buy everything local in Scottsdale from the people who surround us.” Sola has also built a sense of camaraderie with other independent coffee shops in the Phoenix area, Taylor says. Places like Cartel and Lux Coffee Bar support, rather than compete with Sola.
“We don’t look at each other as competition. We compliment each other,” Taylor says. “The more independent coffee shops that open, the more we can get people away from Starbucks and into the independent scene.”
Sola does more than provide an at-home vibe with friendly baristas. At the end of each month, the coffee bar chooses a different charity to donate the accumulated tips to.
“Our whole point is being a blessing to the community and benefitting it in some way,” Taylor says.
If you go: 7124 E. Fifth Ave., Scottsdale Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 480-779-7652, solacoffeebar.com
Reach the reporter at mptanabe@asu.edu.
