The Third Place serves coffee and community-pay what you can

The Third Place is about more than just coffee, but it does coffee really well. The nonprofit coffee shop in the basement of Caldwell Presbyterian Church, at 1609 East 5th Street in the Elizabeth neighborhood, is a partnership between the church, QC Family Tree, Friendship Trays and Enderly Coffee.

Both QC Family Tree and Enderly Coffee work toward improving the lives of residents of West Charlotte’s Enderly Park community through economic opportunity. Staff of the coffee shop are members of that community. Read more about the unique partnership behind The Third Place.

But about the coffee. Don’t think that because this is a nonprofit coffee shop that you need to compromise on taste. Far from it. Enderly Coffee is roasted locally in small batches and the end product compares well with any coffee you can get in Charlotte.

All of The Third Place’s products are donation-based. You pay what you can and want to pay, so the coffee shop is economically inclusive. The suggested donations are a general guideline:

$2.50 for a 12 oz. brewed coffee, $3 for a 16 oz. one. $4 for pour-overs. $2 for tea or hot chocolate. Enderly Coffee recently found them a good deal on an Espresso machine, and now they offer lattes, with a suggested donation of $4.

The interior is spacious but warm, with mismatched furniture, including both tables and chairs, and comfy couches. There’s free wi-fi, so you can settle in with your laptop.

The space is rented out on the weekends, with storytelling and poetry groups making use of the stage and comfortable seating. Every couple months The Third Place hosts an event of its own. Coming up this Saturday, December 16th, is Jingle Jam and Holiday Market, a free event that will feature local artists and musicians.