BETTER VIBES

Timing is everything. Just ask Mellissa Garrett-Hirsch, owner of UnBARar, located at 12635 Larchmere Blvd. in Cleveland.

UnBARar opened in the summer of 2019, just as Dewey’s, the former go-to coffee house for members of the Larchmere/Shaker Square community, was closing. Many of Dewey’s regulars wondered where they would go until they got wind of UnBARar. Karen Watson, a daily stalwart nicknamed the Mayor of Shaker Square, was among them.

“I told Melissa I would be here every day to support her,” she says. And Watson has kept her word. Garrett-Hirsch calls her the “community observer,” as Watson keeps an eye on UnBARar for cleanliness and other necessities such as restocking the restrooms. It’s a coffee shop but also more than that. It’s a vibe. Garrett-Hirsch, a corporate technology strategist, says she’s always had an entrepreneurial spirit — just not for food and beverage.

While working at American Greetings, the time came for her to care for her aging mom, so she decided to take a buyout. Wanting to provide a healthy social life for her mom and engage in some of her interests, she considered creating a space where she could host poetry nights. At the same time, her then 36-year-old son, Rorry Garrett II, struggled to find employment. That’s when a thought came to mind.

“I figured we can make this a family thing,” she says. And thus, the birth of

UnBAR began. She hired a cafe consultant to help turn her concept into cash flow. The consultant helped with everything from the decor to training the baristas.

UnBARar did better at the beginning of COVID; people needed somewhere to go. But, because UnBARar had just opened and had no financial history, Garret-Hirsch couldn’t qualify to receive any COVID relief funds. Therefore, she returned to work and maintains full-time employment to fund UnBARar, which employs three to five people. And, every time Garrett-Hirsch feels the pinch — like she might be entering into a crisis state — a blessing comes through, like a grant from the St. Luke’s Foundation.

“It’s been a roller coaster,” she says. “My son is the backbone. He carried the concept through COVID and created the menu. He handles all of the daily operations while I manage the business.”

Her corporate background helps.

“I love UnBAR,” says a gracefully-aged Ovetta Bass while sitting at an umbrella table in front of UnBAR on a gorgeous, sunny late-May morning. She lives in the neighborhood and comes to UnBAR daily.

Watson says Dewey’s was fine, but with UnBAR, it’s the vision, the mission and the tagline, “Feel Better… Be Better… Think Better…” that draws people to the establishment. She says that over the last three years she’s been coming to UnBAR, she’s grown spiritually — there are even classes that teach spiritual growth and guided meditation.

Garret-Hirsch says her business model is designed to convene folks.

“I’m always thinking of ways to gather and engage people,” she says. “It’s always about what I sense the people want.”

UnBAR hosts poetry nights, Tai Chi and Zumba. People come in to play chess. Couples come for game date nights. Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival (GCUFF) hosts its Black Cinema Cafe at UnBAR. There’s Hip-Hop and Coffee on Thursdays with DJ Step One and Karaoke for seniors. Wanting to support other local entrepreneurs, UnBar carries local wares on consignment and in pop-up shops. But there’s more.

UnBARar occupies an adjoining space where meetings are held; ECDI (Economic & Community Development Institute (ECDI)), a top U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) micro-lender, is subleasing the area to help its product-based clients test the market.

“It’s the people’s place,” says Garrett-Hirsch. “You’ll hear people having philosophical conversations. All the CDCs [Community Development Corporations] use UnBAR for their meetings.”

Some people come in and hang out, not buying anything.

Garrett-Hirsch knows that’s unsustainable, but instead of running them off, she’s constantly thinking of creative ways to better engage them. If she realizes some just don’t have the means, she offers a free coffee. In addition to coffee, tea, smoothies, and bottled beverages, UnBAR serves light fare with several vegan options.

The vegan Polish boy has become very popular, while the vegan chili is the newest addition to the menu. All food is made fresh. Garrett-Hirsch also partners with Edwin’s for baked goods and other food-service owners such as Squash the Beef, and she always identifies where the items originate. Plus, she’s not serving up just any ole’ drip.

“I’m like the Black Starbucks,” she says. “Starbucks has a cappuccino. I have a cappuccino.”

Leah Lewis lives around the corner and comes in daily for Alkaline water.

“I love the diversity of events that occur here,” she says.

At 57, Garrett-Hirsch sees UnBar as her retirement plan and envisions franchising. She has growth ideas brewing in her head. This is her time.

“We’re a village here,” she says, just as her husband Roderick enters to clean the lobby. “It’s a community. I’ve been blessed.”