For about 4 1/2 years the City Heights Coffee House has provided a place for community involvement and youth employment. This fall, about a year after transitioning from a coffee cart to a storefront on University Ave., it closed its doors leaving some people in the community wondering what’s going on.
As of Dec. 1, the coffee is brewing again on University Avenue and 45th Street. The sign and the owners, though, have changed. City Heights Coffee House is now Ryan Bros Coffee. New business owner, Maxine Zapeda, said she is prepared to work behind the counter every day.
“This is my dream,” Zepeda said.
RELATED: City Heights Coffee House Grows From Cart To Storefront
Before taking the leap into business ownership, Zapeda managed the Ryan Bros Barrio Logan location.
“I fell in love with coffee. This is my passion, this is what I love,” Zepeda said. Former City Heights Coffee House co-owner Sterling Tran had a different experience. She said her calling is helping youth with their career goals.
Tran said operating the San Diego Workforce Partnership employment program and running the coffee shop became too much.
“It was just so much to do and our staff was too small, and we found that what we were really thriving at was the employment side of things, but the business side of things is just really difficult,” Tran said.
RELATED: City Heights Coffee House To Put 30 Youth On Career Pathway
Tran will continue the youth workforce program. The nonprofit coffee shop is now a nonprofit youth training program under a new name Movement WORTHY San Diego. WORTHY is partnering with Ryan Bros. Tran will train up to ten young people a year and she says she'll have more of an opportunity to develop long-lasting relationships with the youth to track their progress.
Zapeda says she is happy to help youth in a community that is home to many immigrants.
“I’m an immigrant myself, so I know how hard it can be to not be your first language, not have any work experience, but I have a lot of people who help me, too, so I want to do the same,” she said.
