Coffee shop in Massachusetts that employed people with disabilities to close: "Not an easy choice"
Breaking Grounds Cafe, a Peabody, Massachusetts coffee shop known for employing people with disabilities, announced this week it will close after nearly a decade in business.
The last day of operation will be July 31 according to Northeast Arc, the Danvers-based nonprofit organization that runs the Main Street eatery.
Why is Breaking Grounds closing?
Northeast Arc said it was a "difficult decision" to close the cafe's doors.
"This was not an easy choice, but it is the right move for the financial health of our organization as we face rising costs and an uncertain state and federal funding landscape," the organization said.
Breaking Grounds was able to reopen after a fire in the building in 2023 forced it to close for several months. But Northeast Arc President and CEO Jo Ann Simons told The Boston Business Journal that "it did reach the point where the deficits were not sustainable."
"Closing Breaking Grounds will allow Northeast Arc to direct all of our resources toward our core mission of helping people with disabilities and autism live as fully included members of their communities," Northeast Arc said.
Breaking Grounds Cafe in Peabody
Breaking Grounds was featured on WBZ-TV in 2017, not long after it opened. The Peabody mayor was looking for a way to freshen up the downtown area and turned to Northeast Arc for help.
Ever since then, it has helped adults with autism and other mental disabilities thrive in the workplace. Chris Hunter told WBZ-TV in 2024 that his son Chase has found working there as a barista "very meaningful."
"If you look at children with disabilities and young adults with disabilities, about 80% of them have no employment," Hunter said. "One of the things that we find out about our son and many young adults like this is they want meaning in life, they want value in life and they want structure in life."
Northeast Arc says its commitment to job training remains unchanged, and workers at the coffee shop will be able to apply for other positions within the organization.
