Morgan students oftentimes find themselves going down Boston Post Road, Westbrook, due to its close proximity to Clinton. While driving, these students don’t even realize they’ve passed number 1283 until the local gem of a coffee shop is far behind them.
The address belongs to Julie’s Cup of Joe, the cafe that has it all—a charming atmosphere, delicious food, and a cause that helps better the lives of many people. Better still, Julie’s Cup of Joe is gaining another benefit, one that will impact the entire community: a second location opening in Clinton.
“It’s a really cool place where people love to come,” said Julie Campbell, who runs the family-owned business with her husband, Joe. Her attitude of positivity heavily influences the environment of the cafe, as Julie’s Cup of Joe is known for continuously welcoming its customers and showing friendliness towards anyone who steps inside. “Someone who works here needs to say hello when that door opens. It changes people the minute they’re greeted.”
“The staff are very welcoming,” said freshman Kamryn Dwyer, who goes to Julie’s Cup of Joe often and praises it for how hospitable it is. “They’re always positive.”
In fact, Julie commented that her coffee shop is constantly compared to the TV show Cheers. The series has featured themes of friendship and community; in the main setting—a bar in Boston—everyone knows everyone’s name. “At Julie’s, most of us that work here know your coffee order,” explained Julie. “And then, after we have your coffee order memorized, we ask you your name.”
Her devotion to kindness affects more than just her regular customers; Julie created a program that helps improve lives. Ever since she first started Julie’s Cup of Joe, Julie wanted to work with a neurodiverse community. She had two young neurodivergent people who worked for her the first year after the coffee shop opened. Still, Julie felt that there was more she could do for the neurodiverse community. “So we created a work study program for folks that are neurodivergent. They can come here and learn tasks with a job coach.”
Around twenty-five neurodivergent people have come to Julie’s Cup of Joe to practice life skills such as cleaning, sweeping, and adding sticker labels to cups. Once a week, a job coach comes for two hours to work on such skills. On the coffee shop’s busiest days, the job coach is especially helpful in keeping the business and the work study program running smoothly together. Julie’s coffee shop is not just brightening people’s days but bettering lives.
Julie’s Cup of Joe is also in partnership with Morgan and is collaborating with the high school’s intensive learning program students. Through connection and commitment, Julie discovered the Morgan Coffee Cart and saw it as an opportunity to further contribute to her goal of working with a neurodiverse community. Her coffee shop now works with the Morgan Coffee Cart, which offers staff members of the building cafe-like treats every Thursday morning. This program gives Morgan’s intensive learning program students the opportunity to practice job-related tasks and work skills, and by selling Morgan the coffee and cups for a nominal fee, Julie’s Cup of Joe is helping to keep the program running. “It’s a way for us to help the community of neurodivergent folks without taking us away from our business,” explained Julie.
While Julie’s Cup of Joe is well-known for its friendliness, its food also gets top marks. “They have really good food,” noted Dwyer, who feels that their muffins and Cohen’s bagels are a delicious addition to their fantastic array of beverages.
Julie’s Cup of Joe sells their coffee hot, iced, and in latte form, as well as offering nitro brew. They make their own flavor shots. They serve three different types of iced tea, as well as several brands of hot tea. “The only thing that surpasses our good cup of coffee is our love for what we do,” expressed Julie.
Even more news pertaining to Clinton has recently been released by Julie’s Cup of Joe. They have announced that a second location will be opening across from the post office. The staff will split to cover both locations, and the menu items will be the same, save for the addition of two breakfast sandwiches that will be exclusive to the Clinton location. “We believe that we can duplicate what happens here,” Julie said, referring to the Westbrook location of her coffee shop. “It’s going to be amazing.”
Julie’s Cup of Joe does not simply cater to customers who order often such as Dwyer. They greet every person who walks through their door with a smile, turning their small cafe into a building with a large impact on its community. “We try to do our part to change the world on our little corner,” said Julie. “One cup at a time.”
