YELITZA MENDOZA |
to have a brick-and-mortar [ cafe ],” Embry Munsey says . “… We held out for over a decade to finally find a place to have that coffeehouse where people gather and read the newspaper . It ’ s just happened so naturally . … Sometimes people are here by themselves , but there are a lot of people here meeting other people . Locals meeting locals they ’ ve never met . We ’ ve already seen a lot of community happening and that ’ s the dream come true .”
A WELCOMING SPACE Situated on North Coast Highway at Jasmine Street , the homey atmosphere at Jedidiah Coffee includes an extensive patio and a cozy interior with coloring books , a wooden tic-tactoe set and a kid ’ s nook featuring a toy coffee bar that local children adore . And the Munseys are taking full advantage of the space , hosting a monthly Corner Market featuring artists from the area , local organizations and other vendors that may not have their own storefront . Passersby can peruse items like jewelry , recycled denim clothing , homemade cookies , flower bouquets and more while sipping a latte , cappuccino or cold brew . The next market is Sunday , Aug . 11 , from 9 a . m . to 1 p . m .
The patio has also served as a meeting spot for the Laguna Beach Parents Club and ,
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recently , a community and coffee chat for Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley . The cafe , which opened in February , has taken part in First Thursdays Art Walk and , a few months ago , students at Thurston Middle School displayed some of their photos on the patio . A block party and open mic night is set for Friday , Aug . 23 , from 5-8 p . m .
Back in April , the cafe hosted a story time for kids in connection with Pacific Marine Mammal Center , which is currently closed to the public due to construction at its Laguna Canyon site . Kids gathered around to hear author Kim Ann read her book “ 10 Little Sandpipers ”; PMMC also set up a table to sell its gift shop items and provide educational information . “ We definitely want to do more of that ,” Embry Munsey says .
“… There are already so many organizations that are already doing stuff , so [ we ’ re trying to think about ] how can we just help or host or collaborate with what you ’ re already doing to make it easier or more accessible to people ,” she continues . “… We knew this spot and this corner would help us do that more easily . It ’ s easy to get to and it ’ s right by the park here .”
In July , the cafe launched a beach cleanup event , meeting at the coffeehouse and then
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walking down to the sand to pick up trash . Rich German of Project O also spoke to participants about his nonprofit ’ s efforts to preserve and restore the ocean and marine life . The next beach cleanup will be Saturday , Aug . 31 . The Munseys have volunteered and provided coffee at KelpFest and a lot of the cleanups in town over the last few years , but wanted to organize one of their own — especially because the cafe is just a block from Heisler Park , Steve surfs at local beaches and one of their kids takes part in the Junior Lifeguards program .
“ The idea is to try to do it on a monthly basis and not just like a big annual one ,” Steve Munsey says . “ We want to encourage people to come here on a Saturday morning … [ pick up ] some bags and some grabbers and [ help clean up the beach ].”
FINDING YOUR TRIBE Another north Laguna business , The Ritual Refill , which sells soaps , shampoo , laundry detergent and other household products by the ounce — inviting customers to bring their own containers to fill as a way to reduce plastic waste — hosts events that bring likeminded people together .
“ From the beginning , it ’ s been important to
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LAGUNA BEACH MAGAZINE 37 |