My Story

Domus is the Latin word for house, but it goes beyond simply meaning four walls. A domus is a very particular kind of house – it’s a structure designed for a nuclear or extended family. The word evokes a haven, a place of refuge from life’s stressors and troubles.

That is the vision behind Solvita’s Coffee Domus: to be so much more than a place to grab a cup of coffee, but instead to be a welcoming meeting place where people will meet, linger, get to know one another, and make friends. It will be a spot to sit and savor and a salve and solution for residents of our neighborhood.

I have long cherished a dream of opening a café adjacent to a small shop catering to pet owners. My ideal was a spot near a park that attracts dog owners, providing a place where kindred spirits could meet to appreciate beauty, nature, and each other while their dogs romped or rested. How remarkable that my beloved dogs, Abby and Saule, were integral to finding the ideal spot. As I tried to meet their need for a place to walk and run, they led me to Katherine Legge Memorial Park. Did they sense my need as much as I did theirs?

Transfixed by the park’s beauty, I couldn’t help but notice two abandoned buildings that seemed to be crying out for love and attention. At first, their appearance seemed only a mirror of the loneliness that I’ve noted in far too many members of our community and have wished I could do something about.

For many years, my professional life was lived in hospitals, nursing homes, and psychological assistance facilities. From my experiences there, as well as from an increasing number of public-facing reports, I’ve grown increasingly concerned about the epidemic of loneliness in the United States, as well as the devastating effects that loneliness has on people and society in general. I’ve learned that loneliness is the cause and catalyst of countless illnesses, including heart disease, dementia, stroke, depression, and anxiety. Loneliness also provokes destructive addictions, including alcoholism and drug addiction. It causes societal polarization and division and can even lead to violence.

All of this was weighing on my soul when Abby, Saule, and I happened upon the houses, and I realized that they were the answer to my long-standing dream: that by transforming them into a domus, I could also create a place of refuge and participation, where lonely people could communicate, convene, share, and listen.

That’s how Solvita’s Coffee Domus was born. I hope it be a place that’s welcoming to people and their pets alike, and that brings them together to have conversations over coffee (and an exceptional broth-based “dog coffee” served in edible cups for their canine companions.)

Solvita’s Coffee Domus is meant to be a destination for those who crave connection in an inviting and unintimidating setting. We’ll host events for dog owners, garden enthusiasts, musicians, and others who’d like to discuss or engage in hobby-related activities. It will be a safe harbor where lonely people can congregate without expectation or pressure, a healing and open place filled with the same spirit of acceptance with which our beloved pets greet one another. It will be an island to which they can escape their loneliness and heal.