Making bagels in-house saved local business Copper Star Coffee from closing its doors for good.
When the coffeehouse’s bagel supplier changed ownership, the recipe changed for the worse and the new supplier refused to deliver fresh bagels. Making the switch was an easy decision.
“It was time to try something new,” said Bill Sandweg, the owner of Copper Star Coffee. “And we nailed it… The price went down and the quality went up.”
Copper Star Coffee now sells up to 200 bagels a day, according to a manager. On Thanksgiving day, the shop sold 89 bagels despite only being open for three hours.
“Making our own bagels… not only saved our business, but it has increased [profits]”, said Sandweg. “We’re doing record loads.”
In October 2019, the coffeehouse sold about 1,700 bagels. The number more than doubled in October 2021, when over 4,300 bagels were sold.
The coffeehouse was already making its own chai and lavender syrups as well as all other pastries from scratch, so it only made sense to start making bagels too, said Sandweg.
Before opening Copper Star Coffee in 2006, Sandweg had been in the restaurant business for 18 years.
The idea to open a coffee shop came when Sandweg was in a writing class at Phoenix College.
“I had to go out of my way to get coffee just so I wouldn’t fall asleep in this class,” he said. “It was what [my wife and I] wanted, and it was what the neighborhood needed.”
Now, 15 years later, Copper Star Coffee is a staple in the Melrose District, Phoenix’s historically LGBTQ-friendly district. With pride flags hanging from the outside of the shop and a sign on the register asking customers to not use gendered language, the coffeehouse has become a safe space for the LQBTQ+ community.
“People ask me, ‘did you mean to open a gay coffeehouse?’” Sandweg said. “And I say, ‘I opened a neighborhood coffeehouse, it’s just my neighborhood happens to be 20% LGBTQ families and couples.’”
The inclusivity has attracted an LGBTQ customer base as well as LGBTQ employees.
“Your employees are usually a mirror of the community surrounding you,” Sandweg said. “When you hire from the neighborhood, 20% of your staff is, you know, LGBTQ, trans, whatever. [I’m] glad to have people who work for me who are happy to work there, and I’m happy to pay them what they’re worth.”
Sandweg places a huge emphasis on treating his employees well. The starting wage for a Copper Star Coffee employee is $13, which is 85 cents more than Arizona’s minimum wage.
Because Sandweg does not take a portion of the tips, he said employees typically end up making around $22 an hour.
“I am very pro-employee. I’m pro-jobs. I’m pro-business. I am not pro-corporate America,” he said. “It’s important to us that my employees are treated the way I would want to be treated.”
Copper Star Coffee has around 28 employees who all enjoy the benefits of paid sick time and flexible hours.
Erika Skjei, one of two managers, has been working on and off at the coffeehouse since 2013.
“It’s very fun. It’s very fast paced,” they said. “It’s definitely a family dynamic. We all really care for each other and are super empathetic.”
One employee recently tested positive for COVID-19 and was unable to come in to work for two weeks. Skjei said Bill Sandweg sent other employees out to buy her groceries.
“We just want to make sure she’s cared for and feels like she’s not alone,” said Skjei. “Bill just takes care of us. … I’m proud to work here and proud to be the manager.”
As well as supporting his employees, Sandweg has made an effort to support local artists through monthly artist features.
Typically, galleries or coffee shops selling art will get a portion of the money from each sale. This is not the case with art sold at Copper Star Coffee.
“I don’t take a nickel for what [artists] do, and if they sell something, all that money goes to them,” said Sandweg. “I am blessed that artists want to hang on my walls, and I’m more than happy to give them every penny.”
Sandweg has even purchased a few pieces from the coffeehouse’s walls for his own home.
“Artists are just another marginalized group in our society that doesn’t get what they deserve,” he said.
Sandweg also makes an effort to support the environment. Copper Star Coffee is a Phoenix Green Business Leader, and Sandweg serves on the City’s Environmental Quality Commission.
According to the city’s website, “The City of Phoenix Green Business Leader Program recognizes and promotes businesses that volunteer to operate in a more environmentally responsible manner through sustainable actions.”
In order to be sustainable, the coffeehouse uses compostable hot cups, recycles water from the ice machine and composts all food waste. The coffee beans, eggs, pickles, sausages and more are all sourced from local vendors, according to Sandweg and Skjei.
Throughout its 15 years, Copper Star Coffee has experienced a few rough patches.
About eight or nine months after opening, Sandweg and his wife ran out of money.
“We [had] debts up to our eyeballs,” he said. “I remember saying, ‘the coffeehouse is going to have to sink or swim on its own.’”
That same year, Mrs. Sandweg was cashing her paychecks from the State of Arizona and putting all the money into Copper Star Coffee just to cover payroll.
“We have never missed a payroll,” said Mr. Sandweg.
Copper Star Coffee’s low prices and “chill” vibes attract a lot of young adults in the area.
Bhavana Bellamkonda, 24, and Leah Terry, 21, said that Copper Star Coffee is their favorite Phoenix coffeehouse.
“It’s a more affordable place,” said Bellakonda, sipping a large iced caramel latte. “I also feel like it’s one of the only places that has an outdoor spot [that is] actually in the shade.”
A large tree in the middle of the patio provides shade for picnic benches and wooden bar tables.
Terry, drinking a lavender mocha, said, “I come here for the bagels.”
Contact the reporter at avsinger@asu.edu.
Amber Victoria Singer is a second-year student at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication pursuing a degree in journalism with a minor in sustainability. Along with being a staff reporter for Downtown Devil, she hosts a weekly DJ shift and music show on ASU's student radio station, Blaze Radio, and interns at KJZZ. In her limited free time, Amber likes to roller skate, thrift and drink extra sweet iced caramel lattes.
