Carma Coffee: The Little Coffee Shop that Could

At the corner of 6th and Lowry sits the friendly neighborhood coffee shop you’ve most likely driven or walked past a thousand times. Maybe you’re a regular, maybe you’ve told yourself you ought to check it out, either way, you’ll likely find Carma Coffee owner Liz Jaap waiting at the counter to take your order with a welcoming smile.

Since opening its doors in 2015, Carma Coffee has had a steady flow of happy coffee-loving customers. The sunny shop’s reviews speak for themselves, with patrons gushing over the cheerful atmosphere and staff, natural light, and of course, the coffee.

“When Covid hit,” however, “it gradually got a little slower and scarier,” says Jaap. “When we did decide to shut it down for about a month and a half, it was a sad moment, but it really felt like the right thing to do.” She and her team saw the shutdown as an opportunity to refresh the shop, cleaning and rearranging to uphold sanitation and social distancing guidelines.

Once they were able to reopen, Jaap says patrons soon began coming in again regularly, eager to support their favorite local coffee shop. When it came to the new way business had to be run, Jaap took an open communication approach with her staff. “I feel really lucky to have such great employees,” she says. “We were able to work together, like how can we do this, what’s everybody’s comfort level. Just let me know where you’re at.”

With the recent development of Covid-19 vaccines, Jaap notes that staff and patrons alike seem a little more comfortable than they did a few months ago. “I hope that people can get back to supporting their businesses, but that we can be careful and healthy, and soon we’ll be back together again,” she says optimistically.

Carma Coffee can be found at 520 NE Lowry Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55418, next to Good Carma Auto Repair, run by Liz’s husband Bill. More information, including their updated menu and hours, can be found online at carmacoffeeshop.com.