Neighbors of The Nave: Welcome to Refuge Coffee

In recent weeks you may have noticed a new coffee shop has opened at 3309 Spenard Rd. But Refuge Coffee is much more than a coffee shop; it is a non-profit community space that offers resources for at-risk community members, partners with local small businesses and artists, and provides a stage for all-ages music and live events.  

The Nave team recently sat down with our new neighbors, including Refuge Coffee Manager Sirsha McPeek, Adam Legg of Love Alaska, and Allison Mogensen of Priceless Alaska, to discuss the “10-year-long dream” that brought Refuge Coffee to Spenard. 

“A decade ago, when Priceless Alaska was small and just starting, we realized one of the hurdles our clients kept coming into was employment,” Adam explained. “With severe trauma, the ability to have certain life skills or job skills doesn’t always exist. There wasn’t a place that helped people find and keep employment in trauma-informed ways. So, we [at Love Alaska and Priceless Alaska] wanted to do that ourselves.”  

Love Alaska and Priceless Alaska are the two driving forces behind what is now Refuge Coffee. Love Alaska is a local faith-driven non-profit, “but non-religious in the sense that we do not address or require religion with anyone we serve,” Adam explained. “No matter your orientation, your background, your religion – or no religion – we are here for you.”  

Out of Love Alaska came Priceless Alaska, a 501.c3 organization focused on supporting local survivors of sex trafficking, which they define as “any individual who has been forced, defrauded, or psychologically manipulated into being bought and sold for their bodies.” After over a decade of serving at-risk and marginalized community members, Priceless Alaska and Love Alaska took the next step in partnering with local communities, churches, grassroots organizers, and fundraisers to ensure Refuge Coffee could open its doors. The outpouring of support has also included donated furniture, espresso makers, and grinders, said Refuge Coffee Manager Sirsha.  

At Refuge Coffee, clients of Priceless Alaska may work behind the scenes to keep the coffee flowing, collaborate on designing products for their “Purpose Boutique,” create special tea blends with partner Sipping Streams, and more. Not all clients of Priceless Alaska seek employment with Refuge Coffee, but it is available as an option. For some employees who have survived severe hardships, a trauma-informed approach at work can help support positive outcomes.  

“Recently an [employee] pulled me aside, and I gave her time to talk through whatever trigger was happening,” Allison said. “Our staff is prepared to pick things up in cases where we need to step aside and deal with [trauma]. There’s enough staffing around in case one of us needs to step out.” 

Many employees work behind the scenes because the likelihood of running into someone they knew from “the life before,” as Adam put it, is higher in public-facing roles. Refuge Coffee gives survivors the option to choose their own safety first, without judgement on how they may be perceived in the workplace. “Letting people show up with their trauma, with their lives, with their mess and their wholeness - we can reframe this,” Allison stated.  

Refuge Coffee does more than offer employment for survivors: It opens its doors to everyone in the neighborhood. The shop has assembled care packages with protein bars, socks and handwarmers and promises a welcoming atmosphere.  

“Even if someone comes by who doesn’t want to be a patron of the coffee shop, we can still bring them coffee or meet a practical need that honors them as humans,” Adam said.  

The Refuge Coffee Team would like to invite local community members to join them for two upcoming events:  

• Trafficking In Plain Sight / Internet Safety presentation on Wednesday, May 28, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.  

• Their Grand Opening, May 30th 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., with live music 5:30 p.m. to 7 pm.  

Artists, vendors, and musicians can email refugecoffee@lovealaska.org if interested in doing a pop-up for Spenard 2nd Saturday, playing a live show, or otherwise engaging the community in partnership with Refuge Coffee. 

Neighbors of The Nave is a series of interviews, profiles, and updates related to our neighboring businesses and organizations located in the Spenard neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska. The goal of this series is to amplify the positive efforts of local small business owners, artists, and community organizers to support and empower their neighbors. If you or someone you know would like to be featured, please contact us at info@thenavespenard.com.