PORT TOWNSEND — Already The Nest has expanded its hours.
The coffee shop that opened at 1119 Lawrence St. in Port Townsend a week ago today with announced hours on only two days per week — Friday and Saturday — is now available on four — Wednesday through Saturday.
In the short time it’s been open, The Nest, which is run by youth advocacy nonprofit OWL360, already has attracted many young people eager to engage with the cafe, said the group’s executive director Kelli Parcher.
For instance, a group of high school students has approached OWL360 about using the cafe as part of a senior-year project.
The cafe is open to the public but also employs youth advocates to mentor young people and potentially connect them with further resources, Parcher said.
The Nest isn’t just for at-risk youth, Parcher said, but is open to all.
“We’re really wanting to be very inclusive about all the young folks who come through here,” Parcher said.
OWL360 provides a range of services to young people under the age of 25, including housing, life-skill classes and mental health services. The youth advocates at the Nest will help connect young people with whatever services they may need, Parcher said, including services not offered by OWL360.
“We’ve already partnered with other agencies that are doing programs that are youth-specific,” Parcher said.
Planned events at the cafe will be geared toward attracting and educating teenagers and young adults.
Today from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.,The Nest will feature a presentation on the Jefferson County Clemente Course in the Humanities, a nonprofit organization that offers college-level humanities classes to low-income people.
The Clemente program is hosting the event with pizza and information on how to earn free college credits for people 17 and older.
Saturday will be Game Night from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., with board games, Scrabble and others.
Parcher said planning for future programs is being done with OWL360’s youth advisory council, which is made up of people between the ages of 14-25.
“We’re still finding out what our patrons are looking for and how they want to use this space,” Parcher said.
For now, the cafe is open only part-time, but Parcher said hours likely will expand.
Currently, the Nest is open, with long coffee breaks, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday. The coffee break on all three days is from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. On Saturday, the hours are from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
All of the shop’s profits will go toward programs for young adults, Parcher said.
The Nest has a two-year lease, provided below market rate with the possibility to extend, she said.
It was made possible through a considerable amount of community donations. In addition to funding from OWL360, Parcher said the Nest received a $20,000 donation from the Rotary Club of Port Townsend, contributions from more than a dozen local businesses and more than 400 volunteer man hours to get started.
Support was evident at its grand opening on Friday. It was standing room only for the event, which featured a dedication song by members of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, who were invited as a way of acknowledging the cafe sits on indigenous lands.
“The grand opening was a packed house,” Parcher said. “We definitely had a full house for the presentation.”
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Reporter Peter Segall can be reached at peter.segall@peninsuladailynews.com.
