Small businesses have always been Boulder’s lifeblood– this cafe’s two locations have upheld and expanded upon the values we cherish most in our city.
In fall 2022, I was a scared 18-year-old struggling through my first semester of college. I had moved from a small community where all of my classmates had known me since I was 5 years old, every (hiring) business in the county knew me through my parents (or grandparents, or aunt and uncle…), and teachers doubled as the staff at my favorite summer restaurants and caches for the local softball league. Moving to Boulder was a huge culture shock, and I soon realized that finding a community that would back me up and support me as I adjusted to this whole new world would be crucial in my success here.
So, in order to kill two birds with one stone, I started to look for jobs. I had extensive experience as a barista, so I knew that was the direction I wanted to move in to find a new place to belong. When I found Pekoe on Indeed, I recognized them as the boba place I had already visited several times on campus (and once embarrassingly spilled an entire drink inside) already, only a few weeks into the school year. I interviewed at their other location on Alpine shortly before Halloween, and by the end of the interview, decided the job would be a great fit for what I needed. I’ll never forget what the store manager said to me at the end of the call: “I want you to know that you deserve this,” she told me. “I don’t want you to think we’re just giving you this job because we need bodies. You really deserve this, and I think you’ll be a great fit here.” For a small-town girl struggling with feeling completely anonymous in her new home, this felt like a breath of fresh air.
I quickly learned that community and employee appreciation was the Pekoe standard. Managers put their employees’ schedules first, being more than accommodating with school and finals schedules, sick time, and opportunities for us to travel and take time to have new experiences. They work hard to offer their employees insurance and a livable wage, and many of my managers and other supervisors have offered to help me with various things at various times. It’s really a community I knew immediately to be rooted in respect, integrity, and support, and I’m endlessly thankful for that.
Not only does staff create a positive environment for their employees; Pekoe also provides a safe haven for many people in our community. With their Alpine shop located right next to Casey Middle School, Pekoe is a perfect place for the kids to come after school, pick up a drink, and hang out in a relatively supervised environment until their parents are able to bring them home. Pekoe is a warm, lively, and safe place for all kinds of members of our community on cold winter evenings, and I loved how people knew to come there for a warm place to sit and enjoy a homemade pastry, sweet treat, or even just a hot cup of tea on a sub-freezing afternoon. For the members of the North Boulder community, Pekoe serves as a place they can trust they will be treated like a human being, regardless of their age, class standing, or appearance, and I’ve come to learn there are not many places in Boulder that are truly accommodating in that way. Pekoe has managed to defy all odds in remaining a small business that cares, rather than a corporate-fueled machine.
It’s small businesses like Pekoe that have made Boulder into the city that the entire country admires. It’s perpetually important that we keep these community staples open and thriving, so that employees, patrons, and lost souls looking for a place to rest can have a space where they know they will be taken care of. Without Pekoe, I, along with many others, may not have been able to stay in this amazing city. I’m so thankful that they hired me and showed me their trademark compassion and support during one of the hardest periods of my life.
Recently, Pekoe has fallen on some hard times financially; after nearly two decades in ATLAS, our campus location is in jeopardy. If you’re able, consider donating to Pekoe’s GoFundMe here, and help this community staple in the heart of our city.