Why Wildflyer Coffee makes me love where I live.

One of the things I love most about living in the city is having my coffee shop that I can walk to. And because I’m in south Minneapolis, I happen to walk past the place where Prince filmed Purple Rain on my way to it. (My husband says that in the movie he runs into that house “like a little deer.”)

Wildflyer Coffee is a cozy, warm place with great coffee, which are not its best attributes. The best part is that they hire young people—16 to 24—who don't have homes. Wildflyer says: this place is for you.

I think about being twenty-one, let alone sixteen. Couch-surfing in LA because I chose to. How scared I was. That one night I had to sleep in my car, so I drove to a neighborhood that was nice enough so I thought I’d be safe. But not SO nice that they’d tap on my window and tell me to move along. I hardly slept that night. Eventually I ended up moving home. Because I could.

Kids come to Wildflyer and learn to pull espresso shots and show up on time and trust that someone's got their back.

I love Wildflyer because it helps define our neighborhood — more generous, more caring, more of a community.

Carley is the woman who had the vision for this place. She started with a farmers market stall. It was a scrappy beginning and she built something from nothing. Working at a farmers market has solidified my admiration for folks who can do that. When I asked her about those early days, she laughed: "I would never go back! So early! So much work." But she did it. She’s still working so hard to build her dream. A dream of giving others the chance to build something for themselves.

If you can donate, please do. Even just the price of a cup of coffee. It matters so much.