New Park City coffee shop aims to empower people with disabilities

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PARK CITY — A new coffee shop will open soon at the Park City Library, and the owners are seeking to empower people with disabilities.

Lucky Ones Coffee is scheduled to open in early March in the library, 1255 Park Avenue, co-owner Katie Holyfield said. She and her business partner Taylor Matkins both work at the National Ability Center in Park City.

Holyfield said there is a stigma surrounding working with people who have disabilities.

“People come up to you and say you’re a saint for what you do,” she said. “We really want to set out and break that stigma. We want to show everything that these individuals bring to our world.”

The pair modeled the idea for their shop after Bitty and Beau’s Coffee, a similar shop in Wilmington, North Carolina. Matkins went to college in Wilmington and became familiar with the shop, which employs people with disabilities, Holyfield said.

Park City is a good place for a business like this because the city has a free transportation system that is a good platform for independence for people with disabilities, Holyfield said. It’s also a very supportive community in general, she said.

Employee applications for Lucky Ones are currently open. Holyfield said they plan to hire about 15 people to work in the store.

“Everyone we work with lives a very fulfilling life, so adding employment and job opportunities is just like the next step in that,” Holyfield said.

The goal is to have at least two people on each shift at the shop, with flexible shift times, she said.

They’re currently renovating the space inside the library where the shop will be. It will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and will have new furniture that will make the space a little warmer, she said.

The shop also will be open until 5 p.m. to give kids a place to hang out after school, she said.

“I’m just excited for people to come in and check it out,” Holyfield said.

She encouraged other business owners to employ and empower people with disabilities. There are lots of resources available to help employers get started, including conferences about how to include people with disabilities in a business, she said.

There are lots of ways to make it work for your business, Holyfield said.

“I’ve seen the amazing things that these people can do,” she said. “They make amazing employees. … We’re really trying to show the community what these people can do and highlighting their talents and skills and why you should bring them into your own business as well.”