Help Keep Brewers Cafe Going

Hi everyone, I’m Ajay Brewer, owner of Brewer’s Cafe. 7 years ago I quit my job as a stock broker to open my own coffee shop. For me, opening a business in my budding community meant an opportunity to be a force for positive transformation, not just for my family, but for the city that made me. As a Richmond native, I spent my twenties buying and selling stocks. But the birth of my son, waning passion for Wall Street, and late-night questions about what my legacy would be, made me yearn for something more. That's when Brewer's was born.

Brewer's Cafe opened in the blackwell/Manchester neighborhood in October of 2015. From the beginning, our goal has been to make the cafe a snapshot of what makes Richmond special: talent, diversity, and a welcoming, down-to-earth vibe. For the past 7 years, we have devoted our time, money, and space to giving back to the community. Brewer’s has: -

 [ ] Employed felons, the homeless, and the least fortunate providing an opportunity for them to get back on their feet.

[ ] Dedicated countless hours and resources to Richmond public Schools and the students who attend.

 [ ] Mentored local kids; encouraging them to develop a strong work ethic and learn what it takes to be successful and make an impact in their community.

 [ ] Provided opportunities and guidance to numerous local entrepreneurs; helping them to develop and grow their business.

[ ] Invested thousands in the art community and provided a space for local artists to display and sell their work.

 Over the years, all the successes have not been without challenges.  4 years ago my mother quit her job to help with the business. Not long after, my wife also quit her job to help out.  Needless to say, we are all in.  We do this out of love and it has been the best 7 years of my life. However, the overwhelming challenges of running a small business are sometimes insurmountable.  Unfortunately, that includes the expectation that as a business owner, I have no right to voice my opinions; opinions that are never intended to offend or start a fight but rather to spark thought and discourse.  

As many of you may now know, sharing my pro-life views earlier this summer made me and our family business the target of malicious social media attacks aimed at destroying Brewer’s Cafe and, as some comments read, leaving my family including my children homeless.  The hate and intolerance included calls to boycott and as a result, we now find ourselves in need of your help to keep the business alive. What that means for us now is that we will have to downsize. The funds raised will be used to relocate Brewer’s to a smaller space and hopefully retain a few employees to help run daily operations. I have been blessed with a strong, tight-knit family and we will persevere. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for your contributions.

***Our original write-up did not mention the backlash we received for a reason; we wanted to steer away from all the negativity. To correct our original statement, what we did not anticipate is that after the backlash, we wouldn’t be able to maintain enough sales to pay the bills.  Prior to the attacks on our business, our sales trajectory in the new space was steadily trending upward.***