It’s just over a year since St Luke’s b.kinda coffee shop opened its doors in the heart of Plympton and it’s certainly made a strong impression on the local community in those first 12 months.
It’s not just about the excellent coffee and the tempting menu. It’s about the dedicated staff who have made it into an inviting place where every customer feels welcomed, looked after and treated as an important individual. Creating that warm atmosphere has always been paramount for B.kinda coffee shop manager Helen Shepherd and her team, who welcome a wide range of customers between 9am and 4pm, Monday to Saturday, as well as hosting special events out of hours.
“I absolutely love what I do. You put into it, and you get back 100 per cent. People see that you are going the extra mile, and they appreciate it. It is so rewarding,” said Helen, who has many years of hospitality experience.
Prior to managing b.kinda, she was a front of house practical skills teacher at City College Plymouth, which she loved, but felt a yearning to be back in a customer-facing role.
“I think working for a charity that is well-known, and the name of the coffee shop, drew me to b.kinda. It really means what it says. Visiting the hospice at Turnchapel underlined that for me.
“I get really close to the customers here; they are like family members. I adore the dogs and the babies too. Because we work for St Luke’s, all the staff have the same mindset.
We really engage with one another and because of that our customers can feel relaxed too. It is like their second home, and some of them come in every day.”
The coffee shop’s window seat sofas are particularly sociable and popular, encouraging people to strike up conversations with new faces.
“Every day is different, meeting people from all sorts of backgrounds and seeing them interact with us and each other. People might come in alone, but they don’t feel alone.
“I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported us in the first year and we’re so glad we’ve made them feel at home.”
Nicky Glattback, has also worked at b.kinda since it opened. She said:
“It’s much more than just a coffee shop – it’s a neighbourhood hub. A lot of our customers say it’s like a safe space for them, so it’s achieving what we set out for it to be,” said Nicky, who has worked in hospitality for more than 25 years.
“We get a lot of older people coming in for coffee and it’s nice when we have time to listen to their stories – we might be their only point of contact for the whole day, so it’s important.
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Some have just lost a husband, wife or family member, and this is a place where they feel safe to come and talk.”
The coffee shop has offered Nicky a bridge between a job that’s familiar and the opportunity to do something good as part of the community.
“The fact b.kinda was connected to St Luke’s was a bonus for me. My Mum had dementia and she would have benefited from St Luke’s services if she had reached that point.
I think given time I would like to volunteer helping people with dementia and this is a stepping stone that will help with that aim.
“So many of our customers have had some involvement with St Luke’s, through family members or friends. It’s a charity that touches so many people and is close to their hearts, so they want to support us.”
Assistant manager Sammy White, is also full of praise for b.kinda’s achievements in its first 12 months.
“It’s hard to believe we’ve been open a whole year – it’s gone so fast. But at the same time it feels like I have always worked here – it’s been amazing,” said Sammy, the highly skilled barista behind the great-tasting coffee and perfect examples of latte art.
She might not recall a regular customer’s name but will always remember how they like their coffee and will make sure it’s the best it can be.
“I wouldn’t want to put my name to something that wasn’t good quality. Our most popular coffees are cappuccino and latte, but people also like our range of loose leaf teas,”
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added Sammy, who trained and worked for five years at the Boston Tea Party.
She was employed in another coffee shop and looking for a change when she saw an advert last year for barista staff at b.kinda.
“Good coffee shop jobs don’t come up very often and I liked the charity aspect as well. I don’t think there are many people in Plymouth who don’t know about St Luke’s.
I think it’s important to a lot of customers that we have that link to a really good, local cause.”
