ARLINGTON, Texas–Nestled on East Lamar Boulevard, local coffee house Nehemiah Coffee Co. places emphasis on connecting with the Arlington community.
Through locally sourced pastries and specialty coffee beans, Nehemiah prides itself on providing customers with top quality products that encourage many patrons to return.
“I buy my coffee here because I can taste the difference,” Cameron Bernal said. “I’m tired of seeing Starbucks or Dunkin’ on every corner just for it to be inconsistent.”
Bernal said she has been buying her coffee from Nehemiah for almost a year and has no plans of discontinuing her support for the company.
“They just get it right every time and with a smile on their face,” Bernal said. “I’d pay the same price down the street for a mediocre cup.”
With almost two years since its opening, Nehemiah has spread its roots through the Arlington community and has no plans on slowing down its support for local residents.
Barista Hannah Pomykal said that she likes to put other people before herself and offer genuine interactions for returning customers and first-timers alike.
“I feel like the coffee industry is a lot more than just making coffee, it’s also the experience that you get with customers,” Pomykal said.
Nehemiah also offers events such as the Walk in & Play with the Arlington Chess Club event for all ages every Friday during February. Nehemiah is scheduled to host a Feedback for Fiction Writers event on April 18.
But providing high quality products and experiences is not all Nehemiah has to offer.
General Manager Ryan Rodriguez, who has been with the company for six years, said that a large part of the faith-based Nehemiah Company is Nehemiah Builds, whose vision is to “build and restore hope to help people realize their true potential.”
“They do wrestling as well as after school care, all the way up to high school,” Rodriguez said.
Nehemiah Builds also supports the Arlington community by focusing on fighting the effects of fatherlessness.
“A lot of that is providing good examples of what a father looks like for these students that come in who don’t have fathers in their home,” Rodriguez said. “It’s really just understanding what those students’ needs are on an individual basis—it’s not a one size fits all situation.”
Nehemiah also partners with Alliance, which works with kids in abusive homes.
Rodriguez is a part of Nehemiah’s development team as well, specifically in hospitality.
“Part of it is like living beyond yourself and building these beautiful spaces for people,” he said. “You have this beautiful space where people come to meet, have good food and good drinks.”
Even though Nehemiah focuses on other parts of the community, customer satisfaction with both beverages and hospitality still remains a top priority.
“The value is really in the details,” Rodriguez said. “Some of those things you might not notice as a guest that walks in, but it’s something that you really feel and it just makes you feel appreciated, makes you feel comfortable.”
