COLUMBUS, Ohio — While many coffee shops have popped up around Columbus in recent years, Michael Premo, executive director of Community Development for All People believes South End Café stands out with its mission.
“There are people in the community who are having a hard time accessing employment, because they’ve been out of the workforce, or they were incarcerated. We wanted to provide a place that would provide employment opportunities, leverage that employment opportunity,” said Premo.
The nonprofit organization Community Development for All People (CD4AP) has been around for 20 years. In addition to Bikes for All People, which launched in 2014, and All People Arts in 2018, the coffee shop is Premo’s third entrepreneurial venture, located at 1951 Parsons Ave. on Columbus’ south side.
Romero Hairston is a new employee, lives in the neighborhood and said he’s using this opportunity as a stepping stone.
“I was out of work for probably about four months, had a couple of injuries, couldn’t work. I’m excited to see how it progresses,” said Hairston.
Premo said at the end of the day, the success of a business depends on the community. He wants his employees to know there is a path forward to breaking down systemic barriers.
“And so it’s really easy to slip into apathy, depression, drug or alcohol abuse because they’ve given up. We want to show them that there’s a path forward, and that if you’re willing to apply yourself, you can actually be the lead actor in your own life story,” said Premo.
