Tonight, at 7:30 p.m., the community is invited to come out to a fundraiser to help save Déjà Brew, an independent coffee shop and gathering place in Haymarket located in the shopping center at Dominion Valley. The event will feature music, coffee, food and auction items that will benefit the fundraising effort.
After the oven died at Déjà Brew, Tom Nichols, the owner of the coffee house, told his costumers he could not afford the $2-3,000 to replace it and may have to close down.
Knowing how Tom has made his coffee shop a hub for local artists, musicians, writers and people of all ages and interests, community member Kelly Hennessa took action, creating a GoFundMe page to reach out to Prince William’s artistic community and help keep Déjà Brew open.
Hennessa notes on the fundraising page that Nichols has never taken a paycheck, and all the money he has brought in has gone back into his staff, store and the groups and charities he assists.
At first Nichols said that at first he was reluctant to accept the fundraising event, thinking, they could raise money, but regardless, his café might still have to close its doors. However, recently, several local investors came forward, saying they were willing to invest in the coffee shop and help to keep it afloat.
Nichols is humbled by the outpouring of support he has received in recent weeks.
“I actually have nothing to do with it. It’s actually the community that is putting this together,” Nichols said.
He explained that after announcing he may have to close his doors, investors started, “piling in.” But, for them to invest in 2014, the store will need to stay open until the end of the year.
Now, Nichols is determined to save his coffee shop for the sake of the community that values it. He also wants the coffee house to stay alive because it has been a place from which outreach to the community has begun.
“I work with some of the local theatre groups, we do the Déjà Brew Foundation. We had started had raised money for a kid to get a rehab after a serious operation he had” Nichols said.
He also helped to raise money for a local artist who has cerebral palsy.
It is for that reason that he says a place like Déjà Brew is needed, saying, “[It’s about] having a platform." He also explained that the fundraiser is really coming from the community itself, not from Déjà Brew."It’s nothing we’re doing."
Nichols is also known for working closely with students at nearby Battlefield High School on their music program and especially in helping to produce their annual Battle of the Bands rock and music competition.
And on the weekends, he hosts open mic-nights, shows by local musicians, writing and reading groups. Déjà Brew also sells the works of local artists and musicians.
For Nichols, the dream of the coffee house always went beyond making a profit, and was always been first and foremost about creating a safe gathering place for people of diverse interests.
“I was born in 1960s, and I remember the coffee shops my parents used to take me too was really community based with art and music. It’s really trying to create that environment for people to have a place that is theirs,” Nichols said.
Those who cannot attend the fundraiser, can also gift money to the cause at the GoFundMe page. So far, they have reached 20 percent of their goal.
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