Hi, my name is Yaritza. I’m a 33-year-old mom of 2 and me and my partner Jose, co-own of a tattoo and coffee shop in Hartford CT, Taza Cafe & Refuge Tattoos that means everything to us.

We opened doors with a dream of creating a space where art, coffee, and connection could live under one roof. A place where people felt welcome, inspired, and supported. This shop isn’t just my livelihood—it’s my passion, my creative outlet, and the only means of support for our family.

Recently, a pipe burst and flooded our entire establishment. In a matter of moments, years of hard work were damaged. Equipment, furniture, artwork, supplies, and the space itself were affected. We are forced to close while facing costly repairs and lost income, all at once.

As small business owners and parents, this has been overwhelming. We have put everything I have into building this business, and asking for help doesn’t come easy—but we can’t rebuild alone. We raising funds to help cover cleanup, repairs, replacing damaged equipment, and getting the shop back open so we can continue serve the community we fought so hard to be apart of and providing for our family. Every donation, share, or message of support truly makes a difference. Our goal and hope is that we can be back in business by our two year anniversary, which was supposed to be April 2026.

If you’ve ever had a cup of coffee here, gotten tattooed here, shared a laugh, or believed in small businesses and creative spaces—thank you for standing with us now. We will keep this updated as we go thru the process. For a full video, you can see visit our social media on IG: @refugetattoos.