Starbucks protest results in Kaffeine buzz for black-owned cafe in Third Ward

The sight of two young black men arrested inside a Philadelphia Starbucks left Andrea Guillory with a familiar pain in her chest. It hurt to see them on video, led away in handcuffs. She was upset, though not surprised, and moved to do something.

A regular at the Starbucks near her home in Pearland, Guillory, 46, decided she needed time away from the coffee giant. But she still wanted a caffeine fix.

So this week, she joined many other first-timers at Kaffeine Coffee, a black-owned coffee shop in Houston’s Third Ward that has received an unexpected boost in sales of nearly 40 percent thanks to the attention surrounding the highly publicized April 12 incident in Philadelphia.

Rashon Nelson, 23, and his business partner, Donte Robinson, 23, were told they could not use the Philadelphia Starbucks restroom without paying first. As they waited for a business meeting, a white manager called the police. A customer captured the arrest on video, which was widely shared online.

A day before, Kaffeine’s Instagram account was tagged in photos eight times. The day of the incident, that number grew to more than 1,400. And it keeps growing.

The website, shoppeblack.us, which promotes black-owned businesses, curated a widely shared list of black-owned coffee shops across the U.S. as alternatives to Starbucks. Guillory and fellow Houstonians noticed that Kaffeine was on the list.

“It reminds everybody that we’re here, too,” said Orgena Keener, owner of the shop.

When Keener, 49, saw the video herself and read related news articles, she felt the Starbucks employee’s actions were not only unjustified, but also unprofessional.

Visitors to Kaffeine often come in to sit on the couches for long periods at a time, using the store’s Wi-Fi and printer services without ordering, Keener said.

In such cases, she and her employees ask them if they are waiting on a friend, or if they could at least get them some water.

“Nine times out of 10, it’s a case where someone is waiting on a friend or business client,” Keener said.

Even in cases where the individual leaves without having purchased any food or drink, Keener said she makes sure they were attended to with a warm greeting so that they feel comfortable enough to return.

“They might be customers one day, just not that day,” she said.

By interacting with customers, she’s learned she often gets local college students who may not have a budget that allows them to buy much. But when they can, they spend.

Local veterans often frequent the shop as well, especially since Keener offers them free coffee. She even has a “get to know your neighbor” bonus — a free pastry — for regulars who bring a new friend to the shop.

“Sometimes I wonder if I give too much,” Keener said.

But for her, she said, it’s all about fostering community and coffee culture, where food and drink are key parts of social interactions — something she feels a corporate entity like Starbucks is missing.

Kaffeine will open a second location in Museum Park, across the street from the Holocaust Museum Houston, in August. It will offer drive through service for customers short on time.

Guillory entered the shop on Wednesday to the sound of keyboard clicks and mellow background music. All around, pieces of Keener’s antique collection were on display, from plush armchairs with wool throws, to an Eiffel Tower figurine, even a bicycle hanging from the ceiling.

She met Keener at the cash register. Yolanda R. Williams, 35, overheard her say it was her first time there, and that she was protesting Starbucks.

Williams, known at Kaffeine by the nickname “Day 1,” has been a loyal patron since the shop opened five years ago.

Back then, Williams couldn’t afford her own office space for her tax and real estate business. The Wi-Fi and printing services were a godsend and she quickly became a regular presence in the shop, even bringing clients in for meetings.

Williams continues to patronize Kaffeine because, like others, considers it important to support black-owned businesses.

“If you don’t spend your money in your neighborhood, your neighborhood won’t flourish,” Keener said.

Williams supports Kaffeine with her cash — and her Instagram account. She often posts messages encouraging friends, family and clients to stop by.

As Guillory perused the menu, Williams called her over to welcome her. At Starbucks, she said, she typically gets her order to go.

Behind her, Germaine Washington, 38, snapped photos of the shop’s décor and commented on how great it felt to meet the owner of the shop on her first visit with her boyfriend.

Washington, an adjunct professor at Houston Community College, considers herself a Starbucks fan. As a vegan, she knows she can count on Starbucks’ almond milk.

So when she and Anthony Muhammad, 48, heard about the Philadelphia Starbucks, they felt betrayed. While Muhammad, owner of a home health-care business, has been able to use Starbucks restrooms in the past without having ordered something, he now feels a sense of unease.

“That could have been me,” Muhammad said of the arrest.

Washington feels the company’s announced plan to close all U.S. stores on May 29 for employee racial-bias training is a step in the right direction.

Muhammad believes it’s not enough.

“You’re having this training day to basically learn how to treat humans who look different than you,” Williams said. “And in one day.”

As Washington sipped the last of her caramel macchiato with almond milk, she decided that she too couldn’t bring herself to return to her longtime favorite brand. At least not anytime soon.

Not only does she like the food and service at Kaffeine and is confident no one will call the cops on her or Muhammad.

“I want to be respected where I spend my money,” Washington said.

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