MESA, Ariz. — A coffee shop in downtown Mesa is struggling to stay open after inflation, rising rent and a former employee theft put them behind on bills.
Now, the community is pitching in to help to make sure Jarrod's Coffee, Tea and Gallery won't have to close its doors.
“Yeah, our community is amazing. The Mesa community is just, we love them all. We don’t want to go anywhere," said Jay Martinez, manager at Jarrod's.
For years, Jarrod's Coffee has brought people together in downtown Mesa. Now, that same community is coming together to save it.
"But they’ve been telling us we’ve got you, that we’re not letting you fail. They’ve been supportive not just on that day but since the beginning and we feel the love, we feel the support,” Martinez said.
Martinez owns Jarrod's together with his brother, Jarrod Martinez. They've owned the gallery for the past 10 years, adding coffee to the shop eight years ago and expanding Jarrod's footprint downtown just before COVID hit.
But Jay Martinez said their problems started recently when inflation shot up, with food costs doubling. Earlier this year, he said rent prices for themselves and neighboring businesses spiked up substantially.
"And then we did an audit in June and noticed one of our ex-employees was taking money," Jay Martinez said. "She’d stolen a bunch of checks and we didn’t realize and was writing them to herself.”
Mesa police confirm detectives are investigating the theft by Jarrod's former employee.
Jay Martinez said she stole thousands from their business.
"So June really hit hard because we’re usually more prepared for summer. But our whole cushion was taken from us,” Jay Martinez said.
Worried they'd be forced to move or shut down, they turned to the community for help. And Mesa moved quickly.
"The support, the love, the hugs, the 'we’re cheering for you,' yeah it means a lot," Jay Martinez said.
In just a few weeks, a GoFundMe page helped raise $13,000.
And an art auction and Save Jarrod's campaign last weekend helped bring in even more.
"It’s, it’s a blessing," Jay Martinez said. "We’re so blessed. I tear up when I think about it."
Seeing the community in their corner and refusing to let Jarrod's close down, Jay Martinez said he knows they can turn the page on this tough year.
"Yeah, definitely. Fingers crossed. No, no fingers crossed. Definitely we have the support we need,” Jay Martinez said.
Thanks to some local artists donating pieces, Jay Martinez said they're planning on holding another art auction this Saturday at Jarrod's. You can find more information about this and other upcoming events on Instagram here.
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