Why an Indigenous coffee shop is closing after 6 months in Phoenix: 'We are a bit too loud'

Indigenous, queer-owned coffee shop Skoden announced in an April 2 Instagram post that it will close its Phoenix location inside furniture store For The People in May.

Skoden owner Natasha John told The Arizona Republic that they aren't being forced to move out. The six-month sublease they signed with For The People for the front corner of the shop in December 2023 is up.

For The People co-owner Shawn Silberblatt said he and co-owner Chad Campbell are closing the flagship location of their furniture store and are not renewing their own lease of the space.

"There was the opportunity for us to potentially take over the lease, and that was something that was discussed," John said. "But we do want to find a space that's more accommodating for folks like us."

A coffee shop and community gathering place that simply needs more space

Skoden's owners describe the coffee shop as an "Indigenous, femme, queer collective." They source much of their coffee products and sell art pieces from other Indigenous businesses and artists. They have collaborated with organizations like O'odham Solidarity with Palestine and hosted a Food For Palestine event in February where 30% of sales went to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund.

"I think some folks are not in line with our values and think we are a bit 'too loud,'" John said. "We do a lot of events and we do hold space for a lot of our O'odham relatives, and so I feel like I want to be in a space that would better facilitate those events."

Skoden currently occupies only a corner space inside the larger For The People store, leaving the collective with little room to host large events.

"Obviously this space wasn't going to be forever," said lead barista Jordan Manuelito. "We'd love to have more community events hosted and we can't really do that with such a small space. And we're kind of restricted as we don't own the building, we're only subleasing."

John posted a fundraiser on GoFundMe on April 2 seeking $20,000 to help with the move. The money would go toward a deposit for a new lease, the first month's rent and utilities, moving costs and any renovations needed for the new space. Any leftover money would go toward purchasing a new coffee cart.

"We feel like we need to be in more of a collective, intersectional space," John said.

While the collective does not have a specific space in mind for the relocation, John said she hopes to stay in central Phoenix since there are large queer and Indigenous communities in the area.

A discrimination lawsuit coincided with plans to move

The move announcement came on the heels of a lawsuit against Skoden following a complaint of discrimination that was filed in February, according to court documents filed with the Arizona Attorney General's Office, Civil Rights Division.

A customer alleged they were discriminated against because of their race and religion. The customer, who was white and Jewish, received a drink with a Palestinian flag sticker on the cup lid, which is what prompted the complaint of discrimination, according to a press statement posted on Instagram by Skoden Coffee on Feb. 23.

All drinks from Skoden came with the Palestinian flag stickers at the time of the incident.

Skoden had until March 15 to respond to the complaint, which they did via their lawyer. In a follow-up Instagram post on March 18, Skoden stated: "We are NOT anti-white or anti-Jew."

The complaint against Skoden Coffee was followed by social media harassment, including threats against employees and negative reviews of the coffee shop. Manuelito also told The Republic that the customer said: "They (Palestinians) wouldn't mind killing you if you were there," to a Skoden employee.

John pointed out that Skoden is not being "kicked out" of its location because of the lawsuit, but she hopes the move will help protect their workers from additional harassment as well as create opportunities to cultivate a larger, more welcoming space for the queer and Indigenous communities in Phoenix.

How to visit Skoden Coffee before it closes

Skoden's last coffee service at For The People will be May 16. Until then, the shop is scheduled to be open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends.

Details: 5102 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. @skodencoffee on Instagram.

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Reach the reporter at endia.fontanez@gannett.com. Follow @EndiaFontanez on X, formerly Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Why an Indigenous-owned Phoenix coffee shop is closing after 6 months