Three months after the Garfield Historic District’s Facebook page called for a boycott of Red Hut Coffee, the business is faring better than owner David Marsh had expected.
The initial incident happened when Marsh posted a picture on Red Hut’s Facebook page of himself on the ground next to two seemingly homeless men who had fallen asleep on the sidewalk with a caption reading: “Spending the day hanging out with friends at Red Hut! After this many ‘non-coffee’ drinks, these new friends could use a nice cup of Red Hut signature blend coffee…black!”
The immediate reaction was negative, and soon the Garfield Historic District Facebook page shared the image and added its own caption, saying it was “sickened by this business owner’s serious lack of compassion and better judgment” and called for a boycott.
However, it seems the buzz from the Facebook page remained mostly online. Kim Moody, a board member of the Garfield Organization, a non-profit neighborhood alliance with no affiliation with the Facebook page, said the neighborhood never boycotted the coffee shop.
Moody said in a recent interview that the Garfield Organization “has not ever asked for a boycott of Red Hut on the basis of that picture. We feel like that misrepresented the business.”
Marsh’s public Facebook apology, in which he asked for the community’s forgiveness and understanding, was met with many responses from people who thought the whole thing was blown out of proportion and who promised to patronize the business.
“I posted a picture that I felt would be lighthearted,” Marsh said in his apology. “I should not have posted it.”
Once Marsh realized that the picture could be viewed as insensitive, he took the picture off of the business Facebook page, saying it was never his intent to offend anyone.
“After that, there was an overwhelming support from the community,” Marsh said.
Some residents were confused by who was running the boycott post on the Garfield Historic District page, and some weren’t sure they even had the power to call for a boycott.
David Lammon, who lives in the area, posted a comment on the Garfield Historic District post, which read, “I think the Garfield Historic District over stepped their boundaries by actually using the word ‘boycott’. The administrators of this site should be held responsible for the damage they have caused this business.”
Luckily for Red Hut, the business never felt the boycott, and Marsh has seen a steady trend upward in the business since its opening.
“Every week we are growing,” Marsh said. “Every day we meet new people.”
Carol Hancock Patterson, who lives in the Phoenix area, posted a Facebook comment to Marsh’s apology.
“I think people need to lighten up,” she wrote. “I think your heart is probably in the right place, and I hope your business is a success.”
Tina Rankin, another local, posted a similar comment in which she said there was “no need to apologize.”
Red Hut is moving past the Facebook scandal and onto bigger and better things; Marsh said the incident awakened his desire to help charities in the community. He has fundraising on First Fridays that supports local charities, like the Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development. He also donates any muffins he doesn’t sell to the Phoenix Youth Resource Center.
“All the time we’re involved in helping people,” Marsh said.
Marsh feels that his business has moved past the boycott, and he looks forward to putting it behind him.
The prevalence of homeless people in downtown Phoenix can pose a challenge to local businesses. Ian Newcomb, a manager at a locally owned grocery store called Bodega 420, said the issue is a double-edged sword.
“We want to provide a place where no matter who you are, you can come in and shop,” Newcomb said. “But at the same time, we don’t want the homeless using our store as a makeshift homeless shelter.”
Still, Newcomb said he worries about the perceptions others have of homeless people.
“They see homeless, and they see a guy that hasn’t showered in a month,” he said. “What I see is a human being.”
Erin and Jonathan Carroll, the owners of a local coffee and teahouse called Songbird located a few blocks from Red Hut, agree that business owners need to treat homeless people like they would treat anyone else.
“Every human being deserves respect,” they said in an email. “If they’re a paying customer, polite to others and show us the same amount of respect, we’ll never ever turn anyone away based on the condition they’re in.”
Contact the reporter at etotten@asu.edu
