Café Rosé Serves Up a ‘Warm, Welcoming Environment’

AUSTINTOWN, Ohio – A love for coffee and a desire to help the community merge in a local business.

Leah Sakacs and Amanda Evans, longtime friends and Austintown natives, opened Café Rosé, a specialty coffee retail and gift shop, in December 2022 at 4491 Mahoning Avenue. They offer coffee from nine local roasters, with three more to be added by the end of April. They also sell locally made tea and nonalcoholic wine.

“We’re a one-stop shop for coffee,” Sakacs said.

The business supports other local businesses and organizations. Dog treats made by a local mother and daughter, lotions and Pugh’s Pretzels, chocolate-covered pretzels, all made locally, are some of the products on the store shelves.

Sakacs said she and Evans have been operating Café Rosé while they both work full time, adding to their offerings since the store opened. A ribbon-cutting, with support from the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, is set for this morning to show how the store has progressed since opening its doors.

Supporting the community is important to the owners, too.

“Local community groups have meetings here, and there’s always a fresh pot of coffee and hot water for tea,” Sakacs said. “We have crafts and games for kids and families.” 

The idea for the business started brewing on the mini road trips that Evans and Sakacs take.

“We would always stop at a coffee shop,” Sakacs said. The friends would pick up a bag of each shop’s blend and talk about how they wished they could bring the new brews to people in Austintown and surrounding areas.

“The idea of Café Rosé was born from making all those road trips,” she said.

Besides selling coffee, tea, nonalcoholic wine and locally made products, Café Rosé supports nonprofit and community groups. 

Sakacs comes from a nonprofit background, and both she and Evans have been volunteering since they were in middle school. The shop hosts clothing and food drives and fundraisers for area groups and also donates to causes. She believes one person can make a difference.

“You don’t have to travel overseas or go someplace else,” Sakacs said. “You can stay here and make a difference. And if there’s a way to do that in my community, I want to do that.”  

Each month, Café Rosé offers a book club, a crochet and knitting circle and, with neighboring business Sarah’s Ceramic Studio, a trivia and craft night. There’s a little free library and space for people to relax with a book or a quiet spot to get work done.

“However we can engage and support other people in the community, that’s what we try to do,” she said.

Café Rosé draws customers from the township but also from throughout the tri-county area. The typical customer is anyone who loves coffee – or tea or nonalcoholic wine.

“We want to provide a warm, welcoming environment for people,” Sakacs said.

Pictured at top: Amanda Evans and Leah Sakacs, owners of Café Rosé in Austintown, opened the specialty coffee and retail shop in December 2022.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.