Changes Coming to Jubilatte Operations
Starting in June, Jubilatte will no longer operate as a coffee shop.
April 17, 2023
Dear Friends,
When Jubilatte reopened last fall, we had high hopes that it would again become a wonderful place of conversation and hospitality for our church and the wider community. We knew that it was a risk to try to restart it, but because Jubilatte had been such a blessing to so many in the past, we hoped that it could be again in the future. We also had a significant amount of money in a designated fund to help us reopen.
It took longer and was more costly to reopen Jubilatte than we had estimated. The money in the designated fund dwindled much faster than expected. We have discovered that the cost of operating Jubilatte is significantly higher than in the past due to inflation and increased staffing expenses. While Kelsey and Karen have been fantastic employees and have worked tirelessly to get Jubilatte back on a solid footing, what has become clear in the last six months is that Jubilatte is not financially sustainable. The expense of operating Jubilatte is significantly higher than the revenue it takes in.
Because of this, we have made the difficult decision to stop operating Jubilatte as a coffee shop. Starting June 5, Jubilatte will no longer be staffed and we will no longer sell drinks or food.
However, we know how many people love gathering in Jubilatte. We are working on a plan to keep the Jubilatte space open through the week and on Sunday mornings. This plan will include offering drip coffee and tea (with cash donations to cover expenses gladly accepted).
There are many details to work out going forward, but we wanted our Jubilatte community and Tigard UMC congregation to receive this news well in advance. As the plan going forward develops further, we will communicate that to all of you.
Over ten years ago the good people of Tigard UMC took a risk and tried something innovative and new by opening up a coffee shop. With the leadership of Staci, Linda, Rev. Lee, and many others, those efforts bore fruit for many years. While we are sad about this change to Jubilatte, we are grateful for the years that Jubilatte truly was a space for "conversation not conversion."
