From left: Philanthropy Director Virginia Choung and Executive Director Jen Jepsen laugh as they talk about the difference an above-ground location will make for the Recovery Cafe in Longmont on Thursday. The cafe and its operations are moving from the basement of Central Presbyterian Church to the former Hope’s Storehouse thrift store building on the 800 Block of Main Street. (Matthew Jonas/Staff Photographer)

Five years after its founding, local nonprofit Recovery Café Longmont is ready to continue its life-changing work in a bigger and better environment.

Recovery Café Longmont provides services to people dealing with traumatic experiences, drug and alcohol abuse. Since its founding in 2019, the nonprofit has operated out of the basement of Central Presbyterian Church at 402 Kimbark St.

Now, Recovery Café Longmont has a new home at 801 Main St., a space dedicated exclusively to the nonprofit. The building was previously home to HOPE’s Storehouse, a thrift store that raised money for humanitarian aid.

“They’ve been a fantastic partner in all of this,” said Jen Jepsen, executive director of Recovery Café Longmont. “It felt like a really nice handoff.”

Recovery Café Longmont purchased the building on June 24 for $1.1 million. Jepsen said the nonprofit received a significant grant from the city to help finance the bulk of the purchase.

The Recovery Café Longmont team is still in the early stages of developing the new space to meet the nonprofit’s needs. Staff have begun working with architects to redesign the building, and the first community meeting will be held later this month.

“We’ve spoken to some key neighbors and they’re very excited about us coming,” said Virginia Choung, the cafe’s director of philanthropy.

Because HOPE’s Storehouse only moved its belongings out of the building a few weeks ago, remnants of the thrift store are still there, from the dressing rooms in the corner to the purple and gold paint on the walls. Recovery Café Longmont has big plans for the renovation, including adding offices and building a courtyard in the back.

Choung said the nonprofit has wanted its own space since its founding.

“That was always the plan,” Choung explained. “It’s been in the works for a while.”

The non-profit organization can finally officially live up to its name: a commercial kitchen and barista bar allow the organization to operate as a full-fledged café, something that was not possible at the original location.

“The model is that we can offer training to our members who are interested in developing vocational skills to prepare them for the job market,” Choung said.

The completed space will be approximately 7,000 square feet, a major upgrade from the previous location’s 2,000 square feet. The expansion will allow the nonprofit to serve multiple groups simultaneously, including those not part of the café’s programming, and to host more one-on-one sessions with members.

“This way we can do everything at once and really be more of a community hub for recovery services,” Choung said. “The potential of this place is so exciting for everyone.”

One of the most exciting features of the new space, Jepsen said, is the view of Main Street from the windows. After five years in a basement headquarters, the natural light is a welcome change. The new building also means that Recovery Café Longmont will finally be wheelchair accessible.

While it will be a few years before the building is fully renovated and ready for use, Jepsen said Recovery Café Longmont members are happy with their new home.

“It’s pretty exciting to own this,” Jepsen said. “The accessibility is huge and the visibility is huge.”

On September 7, Recovery Café Longmont will celebrate its fifth anniversary with a public showcase of its new building. In its five years, the nonprofit has served nearly 2,000 individuals.

“It was just a little seedling of an idea, and then the right people in the community came together to create this wonderful organization,” Jepsen said. “It’s fun to have some roots and then grow into this space in this part of town. It’s going to be a great start for the next five, 10, 25 years.”