A Coffee Shop With a Special Mission is Coming to Providence

A Coffee Shop With a Special Mission is Coming to Providence

A new business is coming to Rhode Island — which calls itself a “human rights movement disguised as a coffee shop.”

Bitty & Beau’s, which started in North Carolina and has expanded to nearly 20 locations across the country, will soon be opening in Providence. 

According to its founders Amy and Ben Wright, it’s where “people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are valued in the workplace.”

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

The Wrights are parents of four children —  Lillie, Emma Grace, Beau, and Bitty. Lillie was born with autism, and Bitty & Beau were born with Down syndrome.

It was when the Wrights wanted to start a business where their children could work that Bitty & Beau's was born. 

GoLocal spoke with Amy Wright about the new location coming to Providence, and what people can expect when it arrives.  

“It’s probably unlike anything people have ever experienced before as far as a coffee shop goes,” said Wright. 

Meeting a Need - and Growing Demand

"We live in North Carolina. Our headquarters are in Wilmington, where we started the coffee shop about eight and a half years ago," said Wright. "When we originally started, we just wanted to create a better community for our kids to grow up in — a place where they could work one day."

"What we quickly learned was that more than creating jobs for people with disabilities, which is what we were doing, we were also creating a space where people with and without disabilities could spend time together, and change the way people see and feel about people with disabilities — by sharing a cup of coffee," said Wright.

After the first location was launched, Wright said people beyond North Carolina wanted their own Bitty & Beau's.

"Right away, we had people coming to Wilmington to experience it, or reaching out to us from wherever they lived, saying this is the same problem we’re having in our town — 80% of people with disabilities don’t have jobs — and we want Bitty & Beau’s to come to our city," said Wright. "And so we started to grow very slowly. At first, our family just opened some additional shops in Charleston, Savannah, and Annapolis, basically opening about a shop a year, and yet there was all this momentum behind it, so we decided the best way to continue to grow was to offer franchises."

"So that’s what Providence is," said Wright. "We identified a family in the area that we wanted to work with, to bring Bitty and Beau’s coffee there."

 

Coming to Rhode Island

Wright told GoLocal they are just about ready to make their official launch in Providence. 

"We’re kind of a Hard Rock Cafe model. We’re scattered across the country with these portals where people can come and experience it," said Wright. "We didn’t have a presence in Rhode Island, so we thought starting in Providence was a great first step."

"We’re very close [to announcing the location]," said Wright. "It typically takes some time to find the right spot. We haven’t announced it yet, but we zeroed in on what we think is going to be a great location and we’re in the final stages of negotiating that."

Wright spoke with GoLocal about what people can expect when they visit the shop.  

"It’s probably unlike anything people have ever experienced before as far as a coffee shop goes," said Wright. "It is a very welcoming atmosphere, you’ll be greeted when you walk through the door with a ‘Welcome to Bitty & Beau’s’ - it’s all about human connection. We have this bar that customers can sit at, with no equipment on it, so they can sit there and have conversations with employees."

And Wright said to expect the unexpected.

"We have occasional spontaneous dance parties — there’s a lot of high-fives and hugs," said Wright. "We really get to know our regulars and feel a connection with them, but we also love the fact that Providence welcomes so many visitors, so we’re looking forward to both the regulars and the tourists that come through."

"It’s a great place to bring the whole family. I think it’s important to bring the whole family, and for kids to grow up and see people with disabilities in the workplace, it is an important lesson for everybody," said Wright. "And it’s more than a coffee shop — if you’re not a coffee drinker, we have smoothies, frappes, delicious baked goods, burritos. There’s something for everybody on the menu."