Web Exclusive: The Local Cup coffee shop turns next-door strangers into neighbors

Photo by Jacob Titus
Catherine Griffin fills a mug with pour-over coffee for a customer at The Local Cup coffee shop. She and her husband, Mike, started The Local Cup coffee shop in 2015 with another couple, Brook and John Hardy.
Photo by Jacob Titus
Seventeen-year-old Aireal Newbill started volunteering at The Local Cup coffee shop in South Bend soon after it opened in 2015. Now she is a paid intern learning basic barista skills and how to interact with customers.
Photo by Jacob Titus
On Saturdays, Twila Newbill often hangs out at The Local Cup were her daughter is a barista. After many years of living in the Near Northwest Neighborhood, she says the coffee shop is what really brings people together and fosters a sense of community here.
Photo by Jacob Titus
Qilong (chee-long) Lu, aka Mr. Lu, volunteers at The Local Cup every Saturday and practices his English with customers and student interns. Even though he doesn’t drink coffee, he has found a community at this coffee shop in his neighborhood.