GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A lot of Morgan Williams' time as a coffee shop owner is also spent gentle parenting her customers.
She's been doing it ever since Coffee Clubhouse opened a year and a half ago off of 52nd Street in Kentwood, next to the Bailey's Grove neighborhood.
"We are the largest play cafe in the area. We also, like I said, have an indoor and an outdoor space," said Williams.
Williams said she started the business with her husband as a place for other parents to connect and share similar experiences. For example, the shop offers different group meetings to bring their customers together, like those for single moms, book clubs and those going through postpartum.
"Clubhouse is all about community. It's all about finding people in the same phase of life with you," said Williams. "A lot of people don't have a village. Once you become a mom or a dad, you kind of lose the people that you were once acquainted with closely. So this is a place to find find your village, find your people, find your support, because nobody should ever feel alone during this important part of your life."
However, that community may be in danger of closing its doors. Summer has been a slow for the business, and Williams says, money has gotten tight.
"We are behind on rent a couple of months," said Williams. "We are the biggest lake cafe in the area. It's very expensive to be here, to rent this place every month, thousands of dollars to rent it a month."
Enter the community Williams says they've built.
Meghan Danhof has been coming to the play cafe with her son ever since they opened, and after having a tough conversation over dinner with her friends the owners, she decided to start up a GoFundMe fundraiser to keep the shop open.
"When she said that they don't know if they can make it through another winter, that was when I knew that I was called to do something about it," said Danhof.
Coffee Clubhouse has already had to raise their prices once, something they're trying to avoid doing again.
"We haven't made a cent yet, and I'm okay with that, as long as we can keep paying our bills," said Williams.
The closing of Coffee Clubhouse, for Danhof, would be devastating.
"That would be heartbreaking. I wouldn't have a staple, welcome second home anymore in the community, I try to bring my son here every week when I can. It's hard, and I know he would be absolutely devastated," said Danhof.