The front of UKirk Ministry’s coffeehouse, Hillside Grind. Photo by Meghan O’Sullivan
As the smell of coffee and pastries fill the air of Hillside Grind, the coffeehouse is full of WCU students, faculty and community members sipping on drinks, studying, playing an intense game of pool and hanging out with friends, all while giving donations to a local outreach program through UKirk Ministries on campus.
The coffeehouse opened in August 2015, in the location of the former Cullowhee Presbyterian Church, where the congregation is no longer active. The coffeehouse is an outreach program of UKirk Campus Ministry to serve the WCU community.
“We offer fantastic products, provide a casual and friendly environment, support the local community, and want students’ involvement in things like live music, artwork, study groups and club meetings,” said Karol Farris, UKirk campus minister.
Hillside’s organic iced coffee from Dynamite Roasting Company in Black Mountain, N.C. and bagel from Home Free Bagels in Asheville. Photo by Meghan O’Sullivan
The coffeehouse is donation-based, all of the coffee is organic and comes from Dynamite Roasting Company based in Black Mountain, N.C., as well as the pastries and bagels from Asheville and Franklin.
With the coffeehouse being donation-based, all of the prices for the drinks and pastries have a ‘suggested donation’ cost.
According to Farris, the coffeehouse was decided to be donation-based in order for people to feel good about the business they support.
“We know that students have limited income, and that items at some coffeehouses can be quite expensive. We have modest suggested donations for everything we offer, but we do not turn people away if they choose not to pay that amount. This gives people the opportunity to give what they can, which is sometimes less than, but often greater than the suggested donation,” said Farris.
Although the coffeehouse is non-profit, the workers still get paid a wage for the work they do serving the customers.
“We are not here to make money, but to make a difference to the students of WCU and the people of Cullowhee, Sylva, and beyond,” said Farris.
There are a wide range of customers, from regulars to people coming for the first time.
Barista Ian McClelland said that customers come from not only campus, but the surrounding community as well.
“We even have infants come in and eat with their parents from time to time,” said McClelland.
Hillside has events on campus for the students and community such as live music every Friday night, art galleries, a free pancake study night before the start of exams as well as stress relieving activities all week before and during exams.
UKirk campus minister, Karol Farris and student employees enjoying Hillside’s Pancake Study Break event. Photo by Meghan O’Sullivan
According to assistant manager, Taylor Metzger, the coffeehouse plans to keep the same schedule and continue to do activities and events for the semesters to come.
“We will still be closed for the Summer, but in the Fall we plan to stick to the schedule of doing live music and we are planning on doing more events and being more available to the campus. We’re very open and trying new things,” said Metzger.
Farris said, overall, the coffeehouse is meant to welcome anyone and everyone in the WCU community, out of a sense of Christian hospitality.
“Once the campus gets a better sense of who we are and come experience this place for themselves, we would love to grow more fully into our mission of being a meaningful and welcoming place for students during their time at WCU,”said Farris.
