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Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Regan Nance takes an order for a customer at Bitty & Beau’s Coffee.
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Photos by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Tori Nichols prepares a latte for a customer.
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Photos by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Sam Adams, a shift supervisor, works with Russelle Williams as he counts the hearts on a customer’s order card.
Tori Nichols said she loves making all of the drinks at Bitty & Beau’s, but her favorite is the frozen hot chocolate.
“It’s really good; I recommend it a lot,” she said.
Nichols, a 2023 Homewood High School graduate, said though the drinks are good, “the most important thing is we all have fun back here.”
The new coffee shop, located across from Homewood Central Park at 1625 Oxmoor Road, has fun as one of its core purposes. Amy Wright and her husband, Ben, were inspired by their two youngest children, Bitty and Beau, to start the first location in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 2016.
Bitty and Beau — now 14 and 19, respectively — were born with Down syndrome.
“My husband and I, being the parents of children with disabilities, started thinking about their future,” Wright said. “We were astonished to learn that 80% of people with disabilities don’t have jobs. We didn’t want our kids growing up and being part of that statistic.”
They decided the real key to “getting people to see this population and see the value in them is bringing people together,” Wright said. “Once you spend time with someone with a disability, your perspective shifts; you see we’re all more alike than different.”
Part of the mission of Bitty & Beau’s was to create jobs for people with disabilities in their community. But Wright said the “greater thing” was the experience people were having in the shop.
“Then, they’re going back to their lives, whether that’s work or school, and they start to include people with disabilities because all of a sudden they felt comfortable with that,” she said.
The company’s slogan is that Bitty & Beau’s is “a human rights movement disguised as a coffee shop.” They employ more than 400 people with disabilities nationwide.
The location in Homewood opened in November and marks their 18th location, and Alabama’s second — Auburn got a Bitty & Beau’s location in 2022.
“We love the community of Homewood and are excited to be a part of it, offering a unique and inclusive experience for all,” Wright said. “The community there has been so supportive; we’ve been busting at the seams, there’s so much support.”
Currently, the store has about 32 employees with disabilities. Six of those are current Homewood High School students, who were surprised in October with job offers as their peers, the band, cheerleaders and the Best Buddies club congratulated them.
Shannon Dennis, Homewood City Schools director of special programs, said it’s a “wonderful opportunity” for students to integrate into the workforce alongside their peers.
“We are so proud of our students and the progress they have made throughout the years. It is a true testament to the dedicated faculty and staff we have in our schools, from preschool all the way up to high school,” Dennis said. “The support our students have received from our schools and the community has been tremendous. Throughout the years, Homewood has cheered and celebrated our students, and we are so very proud of them for all of their hard work.”
Wright said the company’s head trainer came back from training the new employees in Homewood and “was just really moved by the growth he had seen in the first 10 days of working.”
Wright said Bitty & Beau’s is designed to be welcoming, with no barriers between staff and customers. The barstools at the counter facilitate conversations with the workers, and there are also nooks for sitting and chatting or studying. The upstairs boasts a seating area and two office meeting room spaces available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The shop offers a wide variety of beverages, from lattes to frappes and seasonal drinks, as well as pastries, including some gluten-free options.
Regan Nance, who works at the Homewood Bitty & Beau’s location, said his favorite part about working there — in addition to his paycheck — is helping all his friends with their coffee orders and greeting guests.
“I enjoy working with customers and serving them — I like to have a big smile on my face and welcome them to Bitty & Beau’s,” he said.
Wright said they are overjoyed by the tremendous support the Homewood community has shown them since they opened.
“The palpable sense of community enveloping us is truly heartening, and we extend our profound gratitude for the incredibly warm welcome,” she said.
Bitty & Beau’s is open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information, visit bittyandbeauscoffee.com/location/birmingham or follow them on Facebook, “Bitty & Beau’s Coffee (Birmingham, AL).”
