Donald Trump’s Inauguration does not mark the end of the world. Instead, it marks an opportunity to reaffirm liberal values and to fight for their place in communities across the country. As I hope my story can show, if progressive entrepreneurs seize this moment, they can build organizations that endure long after the presidency that motivated them to act in the first place.
Exactly eight years ago, my family and I were working frantically to open a third Blue State Coffee store in time for President Obama’s Inauguration. Our business exists to promote progressive ideals, not just to make a profit. We wanted to celebrate the first day of a presidency whose values aligned with ours by hosting a party at our new cafe in New Haven, CT. We didn’t quite get there, unfortunately – the espresso machine didn’t arrive on time! – but we did open for business just days later.
Yet Blue State Coffee was a product of the Bush, not the Obama, years. In 2004, when I was a high school student, I felt upset that President Bush had won a second term. So I decided to do something in response. I wanted to make political activism and community engagement easy, accessible, and part of people’s everyday lives. A few days after the election, I happened to be at a neighborhood coffee shop with my dad talking about these goals. It occurred to us that coffee shops might present the perfect opportunity to achieve them. After all, it wasn’t a coincidence that we were talking politics at that cafe: since the American Revolution, coffee shops have provided a place for people to come together and discuss what they care about.
For a while, this imaginary coffee shop was nothing more than a fun family conversation. We came up with the name Blue State Coffee and goofy taglines like “drink liberally.” We played around with design ideas like writing quotes by progressive leaders on chalkboards around the store. We brainstormed how a business could advance progressive values. We researched ways for businesses to support non-profit organizations.
Over time, and after many conversations with friends, we realized that the idea just might work. The concept of a socially conscious business was relatively new. The idea of Blue State identity was increasingly salient. And everyone loves coffee. So we got to work. We brought on co-founders, partnered with coffee roasters, and drove around college towns looking for vacant spaces. We found one promising spot – on Thayer Street in Providence, RI – and renovated it into the first Blue State Coffee.
We continued to build the business during the Bush and Obama Administrations. We now have eight stores across New England, and we have donated $700,000 to over 250 non-profit organizations in the cities where we have cafes. These non-profits do extraordinary work. Some, for example, advocate for civil rights, promote local journalism, protect the environment, help refugees build new lives in America, and provide healthcare to families without insurance.
We will continue to grow the business during the Trump Administration, because it has never been more important to support these causes. If the government cuts vital services to people most in need, business and philanthropy must step in to fill the gap.
I hope that our business can help in another way, too. I hope that customers will use our space just as I used that neighborhood coffee shop more than ten years ago. Upset by the Trump agenda, I hope that customers will dream up the next generation of progressive organizations. I am confident that their ideas will not only meet the moment, but also outlive it. As of today, chalkboards in our stores encourage our customers to get started. The boards say “Yes We Can.”