Some 75% of civilian employees working at the headquarters of the Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson are eligible for a furlough during the lapse in federal government appropriations, a command spokeswoman indicated on Oct. 1 in response to questions from the Dayton Daily News.
That number could be near 10,000 people.
“Approximately 46% of our civilians across the command are subject to furlough,” command spokeswoman Wendy Varhegyi told this newspaper. “At Wright-Patt, approximately 75% are furlough eligible.”
Blue Sky Coffee is located across from Wright State University in the Emergence Center at 3070 Presidential Drive. It’s about two miles down the road from the base.
“We’ve only been around a year and a half, and so we were just getting to that point where we were able to have more than one barista on at a time,” Stevenson said. “We were really excited and then all of a sudden, we lost 30% of our sales every day.”
The owners have always known a portion of their customer base comes from those that work on base, but it wasn’t until the government shutdown that they realized just how many.
“We’ve always told people that we get a lot of people on their way to the base. Not necessarily all locals who work on base, but we get a lot of people visiting who stay in these hotels and do things on base,” Stevenson said.
Blue Sky Coffee is surrounded by about 10 hotels within a two-mile stretch on Colonel Glenn Highway.
When asked how they are adapting to the loss in revenue, Stevenson said they are trying to figure out how to get the word out more on Wright State’s campus.
“We have some ambassadors that get a free drink every week, and then they promote our stuff on social media,” Stevenson said.
She added that at this point they’re “just waiting it out.”
“We’re trying not to cut any of the baristas hours because we want to treat our employees well,” Stevenson said. “There have been days when it’s really slow, and we’ll let them know, ”Hey, if there’s two of you on, one of you can go home, but you don’t have to.“”
Blue Sky Coffee has eight employees. The couple works full-time jobs, in addition to the coffee shop. Stevenson is a social worker and her husband is a music therapist.
“Even though coffee is a really small gesture — it’s not going to fix somebody’s loss of job. It can be a mood booster and give people a space to hang out if they’re not going to work," Stevenson said.
Those that are furloughed can get a free drip coffee of any size for free.
The coffee shop’s drip coffee is a specialty blend from Twisted River Coffee Roaster. It’s a medium to dark roast featuring Sumatra and Costa Rican beans.
For those that aren’t a fan of drip coffee, the coffee shop has a “Pay it Forward” board where people in the community can pay for a specific item or give a certain dollar amount for others to come in and claim.
Other ways for people to support small businesses affected by the government shutdown is by liking, commenting and sharing their posts on social media, Stevenson said.
Blue Sky Coffee isn’t the only business offering freebies to affected workers.
An international chain, TGI Fridays, is offering complimentary meals to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and air traffic control workers until Oct. 23 or until the government shutdown is lifted.
“TSA and air traffic control workers keep our country moving, and we wanted to do our part to support them,” said CEO Ray Blanchette in a press release. “At TGI Fridays, we believe that nothing should stop people from being able to dine, connect, and celebrate —especially those who show up to serve our communities every single day.”
TSA and air traffic control workers can receive one free meal per day from a specially curated menu.
MORE DETAILS
Blue Sky Coffee is open 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The coffee shop is hosting a poetry night 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 14. The night will start off with open mic. Dayton Poet Steph Duff will follow. Admission is free.
A pumpkin painting party is planned for 6-8 p.m. Oct. 23. Admission is $15 and includes one pumpkin, painting supplies and a drink of choice.
For more information, visit blueskycoffeedyt.com or the coffee shop’s Facebook or Instagram pages (@blueskycoffeedyt).
Staff Writer Thomas Gnau contributed to this report.
Is your business offering discounts or freebies to furloughed workers? If so, email details to natalie.jones@coxinc.com.
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