The COVID-19 pandemic affected how consumers drink their coffee, but it also created a pause in the burgeoning coffee culture in the Tampa Bay area.
With coffee houses closing in-person business to minimize the transmission of COVID, coffee house drinkers relied on Starbucks and Dunkin’ because of their drive through capabilities.
For those who worked remotely, had time to participate in the ubiquitous trend of making dalgona coffee, where instant coffee is whipped together, with water and sugar and placed delicately on top of milk.
Now that measures are put into place, and vaccines are becoming readily available to effectively manage the pandemic, coffee shops are not only able to resume in-person operation, but new businesses are opening their doors in the Bay Area.
Since the start of mass vaccinations, at least two new cafes have opened, the Chelsea in the Arts District of St. Petersburg and a third location of the Blend at 2760 34rth St N.
In an interview with the Faces of North Tampa, co-owner of Sips Specialty Coffee House Caryn Reed talks about the appeal of community, prior to the pandemic.
“We were just about to close before we could open, that was it, the money was gone. But the community embraced us and liked our product,” Reed said.
The aspect of community is what bringing coffee consumers to the local coffee shop.
Joshua and Sarah Weaver who opened Bandit Coffee Co. in the Grand Central district of St. Petersburg in 2016, agrees with that feeling.
Talking to the Tampa Bay Times, Joshua Weaver expressed its importance.
“It’s become more important to build a space for our actual community. We take coffee so seriously. But it’s just coffee at the end of the day. And if we do our jobs right, then the customer will just know it tastes good,” Weaver said.
With the pandemic beginning to slow, getting back to building a community is going to take one sip at a time.
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