Meet Savannah Jackson | Coffee Shop Owner and Community Organizer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Savannah Jackson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Savannah, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I am a queer biracial woman of color. I grew up feeling different and struggled trying to find my way in white suburban society. Looking for ways to fit in but also finding out who I am. I knew I was Ecuadorian and I knew I was Black. I didn’t feel like I really belonged with any group. As 2020 hit and I started a local activist group to drive real change in our communities. My ideology was that if we get to know our neighbors we will be more inclined to protect our neighbors. Therefore creating a safe place for all to live. Leading with love and care and hopefully that love and care will be reciprocated. I opened Mixed: Coffee and Community so that those who grew up like me, who think like me, who look like me, who believe in what I believe in could come to a SAFE space, enjoy fantastic goodies from my culture, hang out with other like-minded people AND CONNECT! That was why I opened my store!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am new to the “working world”. I am 28 years old and was in school until I was 24. Throughout my schooling I loved to try a BUNCH of different jobs. I worked from retail stores to car dealerships to nonprofits to receptionist at a wellness clinic. I knew that community service was something that I loved and was very good at. I am a natural leader that enjoys collaboration to create community! As of now, my coffee shop has closed and I am still on this journey to figure everything out. Where am I supposed to be? What am I supposed to do? How can I use my degrees, skills, experience and natural abilities in a job? All questions I’m still trying to answer but I am on the right path. I know what I love right now, even though I’m well aware things may change, and I know what I’m good at.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Ahhh, well I live north of Seattle in a town called Bothell. It is very small and not very diverse… Fortunately for me, my entire family are a bunch of foodies so we WILL find the best spots. My absolute favorite spot in Bothell to eat is Ta Joia. It is a Korean-Brazilian fusion restaurant. EVERYTHING HITS. NOTHING MISSES. My favorite lunch, dinner, breakfast spot.

In Seattle, my girlfriend and I LOVE Capitol Hill. Since we are a queer couple I feel very safe and accepted in Cap Hill. There is the only lesbian bar called Wild Rose that always has an excellent DJ, great drinks and even better vibes. I am on Eventbrite a lot checking out all the queer events in the city!

I also love Dave’s Hot Chicken, MOPOP, and love to see my favorite artists perform at the WAMU theater.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to thank everyone who was involved on my journey. I learned so much about myself, my community and life in general.

First, my parents deserve all the recognition. Without them, none of what I was able to do would have been possible. Thank you to Gerald Jackson and Patricia Tobar, my wonderful parents. My mom was the head of the kitchen and all the food that was presented was made by my Mami.

I would love to thank Representative April Berg for being a constant mentor my entire journey, even before the doors opened.

I would like to thank my artists who filled my store with beauty and class. You can find their handles on my Instagram @MixedCoffeeShop.

Another thank you to all of my partners, Sistah Sci-Fi had a book vending machine that had books written by Black Authors from kids books to adult novels. Dancing Kitchen often had cookout pop ups and we always turned that into a party. Garzon: Latinx Street Food also had pop ups for our cultural nights like Carnaval and Noche Buena.

I would like to thank the community. I have been so honored to get to know everyone that came to my store. Without the love and support from the community my dream would have been empty so I would like to thank everyone who believed in me.

Instagram: @sav_whatt96 @mixedcoffeeshop