Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Perryman.
Hi Michael, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
The funny thing is, Coffee and Trap was never my original plan. From a very early age, I always had a passion for cameras and storytelling, this passion eventually led me to start a business shooting Photography and Music Videos for local artist. During this time, I also had a full-time job so I had to book these shoots during random times. Sometimes I had to be to work at Noon so I would get up and shoot early in the AM, sometimes I’d get out in the evening and rush home grab a coffee for energy, and head right back out there to continue building my brand. This constant hustle led me to the realization that my life had become a never-ending cycle of Coffee and Trap (Finding energy to continue the hustle). That is how the name originally came about.
Once I had the name, I tested it out simply by asking 100 different people what they thought of it. After accumulating the info, it was easy to see that the name was catchy and would resonate with my target audience. Next, I needed a product, so of course, my passion for storytelling took the lead and I began a docuseries called Coffee and Trap. On the series, I traveled the country and spoke with entrepreneurs, artist, and Influencers about the current state of the Culture. I wanted to learn more about coffee shop culture so I took a trip to San Francisco. I heard about this Black-owned coffee roaster Keba Konte (Red Bay Coffee) and reached out for some mentorship. He invited me to his roasters/shop and the vibes were unforgettable. Not only was the candied yam latte I ordered sensational but the diverse crowd and ambiance of the shop’s design stuck out for me. I felt at home instantly. Lastly, there was a young lady who performed a song called INDIGO and her act gave me goosebumps so having performances at my shop was born that day.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Well, my plan to open a Hip Hop inspired Coffee Shop that sells specialty coffee from black-owned roasters began late 2019. We worked hard to find the proper logo we felt best represented the brand and traveled to numerous cities to speak with black-owned coffee shops and our momentum began to really pick up. We were selling out of Merch by the week and donations were coming in consistently from people who wanted to see our dream come into fruition. We were close to having enough capital to bravely go out and seek a loan to push us over the hump and then boom “Coronavirus”! The pandemic started to get worse, people were told not to congregate together and a lot of my favorite shops closed for months and others closed for good. We thought our dream was crushed. At the height of the outbreak, it became apparent that opening a location that required people to hang out was not ideal in the ever-changing times.
We were forced to do a Pandemic Pivot and began focusing more on the Merch and the story as opposed to the opening of a Coffee Shop. We created a web series called Tha Plug Atlanta which accumulated over 1000,000 views. Our pivot was somewhat successful and we easily became known as a Culture Brand with an easy to recognize logo. But no matter what every time someone saw a tee hoodie or hat they would ask hey where is that shop, I’d like to support that.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We are a Culture brand! Our goal is to have a lasting impact on the culture through the use of Fashion, Coffee, Live Events, and Original Content created and curated by us. We hope to encourage entrepreneurialism, creativity, and cultural expression.
We hope that our logo, the Trapper’s Cup, becomes iconic and symbolizes those of us who refuse the status quo and instead make our own paths. It is a brand for creators, dreamers, movers, and shakers. It’s for the Trappers. Lastly, we hope to empower local communities with the opening of our Hip Hop inspired coffee shops. The shops will be meant to fight gentrification, empower entrepreneurialism, and double as an event and meeting space for the Culture.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I wish luck played a role in this process! However, it has taken hard work to overcome the many obstacles I’ve had to overcome. I was born to a poor family and grew up in the projects. Heroin addiction plagued my family and would eventually take the life of both my brother and sister. From a very early age, I know that I wanted to be different. I knew that I would never fall into the same traps that took the lives of my family members and set out on a mission to ensure that my children would have a head start instead of an impediment. So, with that being said I’d say bad luck played the biggest role in me chasing becoming the person that I am today.
Contact Info:
- Email: coffeeandtrap@gmail.com
- Website: coffeeandtrap.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/coffee and trap
- Facebook: Coffee And Trap
- Youtube: Coffee and Trap
Image Credits
Alicia Bramwell
Peter Roche
