Not wanting Starbucks again, I decided to try a new place for coffee and coffee-inspired beverages the other morning.
I figured I’d hit up a new snazzy place in the downtown area becoming famous for dishing out fresh pastries, nifty sandwiches, and, even more, their own coffee drinks. But, of course, by the time I got there at 10am, they were closed, making me feel like the universe was against me.
Ugh.
Still feigning for the caffeine inspiration I needed, instead of kicking the dirt, I drove to Midtown, figuring a coffee shop must be nearby. That’s where I found Not Your Average Joe, at 1227 N. Walker Ave.
I had actually heard of this spot, but for some reason, had never been. It’s a tad different from the stuffy, regimented coffee shops that have sprung up around OKC over the past decade, as they include “students and adults with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities” in their workforce.
Working here gives these folks something to do, a steady paycheck, and the gravitas that working at a coffee shop can truly bring. As a survivor of a massive stroke requiring lifelong physical and speech therapy, it’s a cause I admire and identify with.