On Feb. 24, the smell of coffee intertwined with sweet harmonies, welcoming talent to Love Coffee’s monthly open mic night.  

Although it’s usually only open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday with a full coffee bar and a variety of baked goods, Love Coffee reopens its doors at 6 p.m. once a month to welcome the community for a night of song and joy. The Columbia coffee shop is rooted in inclusivity, employing individuals with disabilities to help build lifelong skills and experiences. Monthly open mic nights at Love Coffee reflect this mission, providing a platform for musicians and customers alike to collectively indulge in cafe treats and the musical realm for a couple of hours.

“[Open mic nights] have given the community an opportunity to come into our cafe and see us do something other than serve food and wait on customers,” Dustin Davis, Love Coffee’s general manager said. 

The nights are presented by U.C. Music, a local music school that leads a variety of ages in different musical endeavors. Uriah Carter — owner of U.C. Music and Columbia resident — has spent the past couple of years growing his company. 

“I moved to Colombia about 5 years ago, and I literally only had my laptop, my guitar and a duffel bag of clothes,” Carter said.

In need of a space to teach and mentor a larger group of adults, Carter reached out to Love Coffee to inquire about practicing in the space. The request was granted in an attempt to merge the coffee and music worlds. After teaching the group in Love Coffee, Carter pitched the idea of hosting an open mic night. The idea struck a chord with Love Coffee and quickly became a monthly event. 

“In exchange for us being here and me teaching my students, we started to do things like concerts. Eventually, the concerts turned into the idea of like, ‘why don’t we just do an open mic and invite anybody in? See where it goes?’ And that’s where we are today,” Carter said.

Although Carter no longer teaches in Love Coffee, he continues to cultivate his relationship with the cafe. The adult group Carter taught in Love Coffee graduated from his teaching expertise and has since assembled a band called the Soul City Ramblers. The group reunites with Carter every month to perform at Love Coffee’s open mic night. 

On Friday, after giving customers an hour to arrive, settle down, find seats and order, Carter took the stage around 7 p.m. to introduce himself, thank attendees and kick off the evening. The first act of the night was also the first comedy act at Love Coffee as owner Chuck Crews’ son, Aaron Crew, took the stage. Pulling inspiration from his personal life, Aaron made endearing, yet comical remarks about his wife and daughters who were seated in the crowd as they energetically cheered him on. However, his family and friends in attendance were not the only ones laughing in amusement. The coffee house quickly erupted with laughter as customers laughed at the familiarity of Aaron’s comedic tales of fatherhood.   

All of Friday’s performers following Aaron’s set were musically oriented. A variety of ages took the stage with their guitars and sang anywhere from one to three songs. While most songs were country and folk covers, Bon Jovi and Taylor Swift songs also made an appearance. Current and previous U.C. Music students, including the Soul City Ramblers, performed alongside Love Coffee employees and Columbia residents who stumbled upon the opportunity. 

Open to the community, a sign-up to reserve a performance slot can be found on Love Coffee’s Facebook page. February’s sign-up caught the attention of Columbia College student, Emma Baumgartner.

Baumgartner made her debut at Love Coffee that Friday evening. Although she knew she wanted to perform after learning about the opportunity from fellow Columbia musician Meredith Shaw, she did not have a clear idea of what her performance would look like until she stepped on stage. 

“I actually had no plan. When I got here I was so nervous, I was about to leave,” Baumgartner said. “Then I got up there and I thought, what are some songs I know how to play? What are some songs I love? And so I just kind of picked the songs on the spot.”

Accompanied on stage by her father, Baumgartner’s internalized fears failed to come across in her performance. Baumgartner confidently sang “my tears ricochet” and “Death By A Thousand Cuts” both by Taylor Swift as she played along on her guitar. Following her covers of Swift’s songs, Baumgartner sang a heartfelt original song that she explained was about her “narcissistic ex-boyfriend.” Baumgartner explained that she had just finished the song and is still workshopping through some parts. Both her original song: “A Drive Down Clatterbuck Road”, and her Swift covers earned Baumgartner enthusiastic applause as she descended from the stage.

Located on Interstate 70 Business Loop, Love Coffee’s close proximity to MU has attracted the attention of many students. Junior Aiyana Massie attended the event for an assignment for her journalism class, interviewing Carter about his involvement with U.C. Music. This initial interaction prompted them to attend the open mic night.

“I just absolutely love seeing how supportive the community is for the fine arts because it’s so important culturally, socially, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically — in all the ways,” Massie said. “It’s such a supportive and thoughtful crowd all the way through.”

After nearly six months of successful open mic nights, Love Coffee and U.C. Music’s partnership to prioritize music and community involvement in Columbia will continue. Carter plans on doing this by not only continuing open mic nights but also hosting guitar workshops and yoga classes at the coffee shop. Until the next open mic night on March 29 at 7 p.m., Columbia locals can satisfy their caffeine cravings with a cup of coffee during Love Coffee’s normal hours of operation. 

Copy edited by Ashley Dickey and Lauren Courtney

Edited by Scout Hudson