Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Elinburg.
Hi Jennifer, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Brightside Cafe was a dream of Jennifer Elinburg’s (a special educator) for over 4 years. After visiting a coffee shop with a similar mission, she dreamed of one day creating a place where adults and teens with special abilities in her community could work, find purpose and success. When Carrie and Jennifer became friends, Jennifer shared this vision with Carrie, and she was immediately hooked and wanted in as well. After 4 years of praying and searching the dream was finally set in motion in February 2024. In December 2024, Brightside Cafe opened its doors to the public. In January 2025, a grand opening was held where there was a line for over 4.5 hours. We have 20 employees that include a diverse background, and many different special abilities. They are all amazing and have a role at Brightside and are showing the community that they all deserve a place to work and be seen within the Buford community and surrounding areas. We recently purchased a coffee trailer (Brightside on the Go), through our Brightside Forever Foundation, that we are able to get out in our community as well as serve in the cafe. It is providing opportunities to put more employees to work and allowing us to spread the mission of Brightside Cafe. Our goal is to become the place everyone wants to come to work, play, and gain relationship! We have recently built a patio outside that allows for friends, families, and kids to come play, socialize, and make memories at Brightside. Our prayer is that Brightside will set an example for the businesses in our community that employing adults and teens with special abilities is the right thing to do.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of the struggles that we had in the beginning was getting the cafe open. It took a little longer than we expected and we had already hired our employees. We had to find inventive ways to get started. That is how Brightside on the Go was created. We went to festivals, parties, golf tournaments, etc to get the word out. At that time, we were taking tents, tables, generators, coolers, and all the things. It was tough but we made it happen! It started what is now the Brightside on the Go extension of Brightside Cafe. It was not something that we thought would be a part of the mission, but it has turned out to be an amazing part.
We’ve been impressed with Brightside Cafe , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a coffee/smoothie shop that employs adults and teens with special abilities. We serve the community in so many ways other than coffee. We provide a safe place for a person with special abilities to work, grow, and learn in all areas of life. We also provide the community with the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our employees by coming to support the mission. Our coffee/smoothies, and snacks are amazing, but the service is so much better! Every time someone walks through the door it is an opportunity for our employees to engage in social skills, recipe making, following directions, and serving our community in a positive uplifting way. Any customer will walk out different than when they walked in.
We serve coffee (iced or hot selection), smoothies, refreshers, a variety of breakfast items, lunch croissants, cupcakes, choc corn, and many more yummy choices. We partner with other companies that provide employment to people with special abilities such as Special Kneads and Treats and Crispy King.
Through the Brightside Forever Foundation we work to teach other businesses that you don’t have to create a coffee shop that specializes in employment but if they agreed to hire one employ with special abilities both their business and the person could benefit.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Our goal is to franchise into other communities. We could put a Brightside Cafe in every community within 20 miles and the waitlist would still be super long. There are so many people waiting to get a job and not enough opportunities available. With the Brightside Forever Foundation we hope to bring scholarships to students who are looking to attend a Life Skills program post high school. We also hope to scholarship future special educators in the field of Special Education, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Physical Therapies. We believe that our employees got to where they are because of the amazing village that taught them along the way, and we need to continue reach the future by helping those who want to go in these fields.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://brightsidecafebuford.com/
- Instagram: brightsidecafebuford
- Facebook: brightsidecafe1
