More Than a Coffee Shop: Dig It! Coffee Co. Builds A Community Embracing
Inclusivity, Equity, And Kindness.
BY DEBBIE HALL
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF DIG IT! COFFEE CO.
As the Arts District pivots, transforms, and morphs after the pandemic, Dig it! Coffee Co. joins the area creating a thriving community serving “kindness, coffee, and inclusion.”
The vibe of the space in the lower level of the Share Downtown apartment complex is captured by Taylor Gardner Chaney, founder and owner of Dig It! Coffee Co. Its core is serving coffee and sweet drinks while fostering inclusion for adults with disabilities. Along with providing job training and mentorship for adults with disabilities in a positive work environment, guests share inclusion in the workplace.
A native Las Vegan, Chaney left briefly to attend the University of Nevada, Reno, to obtain her Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Journalism. When she returned to Southern Nevada, Chaney realized the differences between her sister and herself.
“My sister and I are 16 months apart and entered adulthood together. However, I realized my choices and opportunities differed greatly from hers. I was deciding what college to attend, if I wanted to travel, and what job I wanted to hold. Her options were what program she wanted to attend all day,” explains Chaney. “She did attend one program for several years. However, my sister has higher needs since she is nonverbal and requires daily assistance. She became just a number, even though our family advocated for her. We wanted more stimulation, time with her peers, learning, and more inclusivity where she was out in the community.”
The roots of Dig It! Coffee Co. began when Chaney started The Garden Foundation nonprofit organization in 2018, inspired by her younger sister born with Down Syndrome. Chaney started her organization as an education-based program with recreational classes and vocational training serving adults with disabilities.
“My main goal was for people to grow and learn and not just sit in four walls of a daycare,” says Chaney.
She decided to create a coffee cart business to teach how to handle money, customer service, and communication skills. The coffee cart was made available at the offices where the foundation was located, and Chaney could witness the wonderful interactions between the people she was serving and the community. Customers would tell her how they enjoyed the engagement and experience with those operating the coffee cart. In fact, many discovered that buying a cup of coffee from those with disabilities was no different than buying one in a chain store.
“Buying coffee from us became a beautiful experience for the customers, and our people were so excited and wanted to work more within the community.”
Dig It! Coffee Co. continued to grow for the next four years as part of the work program expanding into farmers’ markets, catering, and pop-up coffee events. Her coffee distributors, Sin City Coffee & Beverage, believed in her and the foundation and assisted in many ways, including providing free coffee.
The success of the coffee cart prompted her to envision growing the business on a bigger scale. Chaney began planning within the nonprofit while continuing to offer the other classes and programs.
She started looking for spaces because Chaney eventually wanted a brick-and-mortar store as a real home for the business. “I wanted to give our people a real job opportunity while paying all our staff competitive wages,” she says.
Searching in all areas of Southern Nevada, Chaney’s passion for making the next phase of the business happen brought her to the Arts District. She faced the challenges of the pandemic and locations falling through after she decided it was the right spot.
Then, she met with Derek Douglas (a.k.a. SNIPT), a Las Vegas artist and cofounder of Golden Fog Coffee, the previous tenant of the space she was considering.
“He created his baby, which was the coffee shop, but he was looking to explore other passions and do other things. He wanted to hear what I wanted to do. It was meaningful for him to have someone else come in and take over his space,” Chaney states.
She shared with him what they wanted to accomplish, and their mission was a social enterprise coffee shop that would employ staff with different abilities while paying equal wages. “He was blown away. He told me that if anyone was going to take over the space, he wanted it to be Dig It!”
Chaney would discover that the Arts District is the perfect place for the coffee shop, which has been proven true. Business owners in the district have been very welcoming and so kind to her and her staff.
“This has been a very cool experience. Derek is also amazing and still a friend of mine. He created some of the artwork, still has a handprint in the space, and is a huge supporter of us,” she says.
The mural of rapper 2 Chainz with the one-line lyric, “I’m different, yeah, I’m different,” from his song I’m Different remains on the wall. Created by muralist Miscre8 and SNIPT, the mural remains unique to Chaney and the community.
There are challenges, including labor, for which Chaney was prepared to offer support, modifications, and accommodation to all staff members by developing the business to plan for these considerations. The cost can also create challenges with supply chains and higher wholesale prices.
She also understands that this population wants to work. According to Chaney, Dig It! Coffee Co. is one the few places with a mission to hire people with disabilities and provide a positive, inclusive environment paying equitable wages. She receives many applications daily from people who want to work at Dig It! Coffee Co., but she only can offer a limited number of jobs and hours. Since the business is relatively new, she is working on establishing what could become a flagship location. Since Dig It! Coffee Co. is at staffing capacity, Chaney would like to expand to other areas in Nevada and the west coast to create more job opportunities.
“I don’t think there is a solid footprint for our business model on the west coast, and I want to be on the forefront, as well as encourage other businesses to adopt a more inclusive work environment.” She states that while this would be beneficial to the disability community, it is just as important to the community at large.
“I want them to see people with disabilities working and giving out coffee, or working in retail, or a gas station. This becomes normal, not a special or unique thing that Dig It! Coffee Co. does, but we start to give people with disabilities the opportunity to be included in society.”
It is also essential to understand that Dig It! Coffee Co. hires people of different abilities and not just those with disabilities. “We hire a wide range of people being fully inclusive.” Dig It! Coffee Co. is a partner of the Garden Foundation, which is still operating, and many of the people hired were trained at the foundation and also trained at the coffee shop.
Sin City Coffee & Beverage of Las Vegas supplies locally roasted, high-quality coffee. The signature latte is Dirt Cup Latte, a spin on dig it, reminiscent of chocolate pudding with chocolate cream-filled cookies while adding a kick of caffeine. Delight in dark chocolate, white chocolate, espresso, cookie crumble, whipped cream, and a gummy worm. There is also Peanut Butter Macha, Cookies-and-Cream cold brew, and an extensive coffee and beverage menu. Whiskful Thinking Cakes supplies sweet treats that bring back childhood memories, including ring dings and cake push pops. Other goodies are featured on the menu, with more items being added.
The coffee shop occupies 1,400 square feet and is surrounded by Instagrammable walls with seating for 40 at booths, low tops, and a communal table. Its modern aesthetic features splashes of neon colors, including a bright pink ceiling, the deep green of plants, and the shine of disco balls. Add large alternating-colored squares, two black-and-white checkered chairs, and a retro-looking TV. They celebrate the philosophy of “Not Typical” displayed in bright lights on an Instagram-worthy interior wall. The message of “serving kindness, coffee, and inclusion” is expressed from the latte art to cup sleeves.
Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday (closed on Mondays). Third-party delivery services, including Uber Eats, Door Dash, and Grub Hub, will bring delicious coffee and other drinks. Dig It! Coffee Co. is located in the heart of Downtown, 1300 S. Casino Center Blvd. For more info, visit digitcoffeeco.com and follow on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok @digitcoffeeco.
It’s more than a cup of coffee…
It’s inclusive.
It’s impactful.
It’s an experience.