MANTRA COFFEE COMPANY

https://i2.wp.com/mythirdplace.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Post-4.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1 1024 576 Michaela Steiner Michaela Steiner https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7273cade1f615601ccc55179f24c0ff9?s=96&d=mm&r=pg January 24, 2016 January 29, 2016

January 24, 2016
Michaela Steiner

Michaela, her feet, and sandals on Mantra’s colorful tile.

Anyone who’s ever been to Mantra Coffee Company in Azusa knows that the atmosphere that saturates the entire shop brings some strangely pleasant warm fuzzy feelings. You wouldn’t think that a small coffee company could bring so much internal joy into you, but I suppose that IS what coffee does, after all. For those of you who haven’t been, let me paint you a picture. Affectionately know as simply ‘Mantra,’ this coffee company is run out of a house renovated into a coffee shop. From the moment you walk in, the setup of the counter nestled in between the tables, chairs, and dangerously comfortable couches breathes the feeling of being in a friend’s living room (albeit a living room with some pretty fantastic coffee equipment in the corner). The delicious smell of freshly roasted coffee greets you immediately at the door. No advertisements litter the door frame or tables, as can be the case with some larger coffee companies, and the cleanliness of the light colored room adds to the simplistic design of the shop. This simplicity is probably the biggest factor that allows one to feel at home in the middle of Mantra’s brightly tiled floors and shining appliances. Honestly, you almost cannot help but want to photograph the whole place to show friends. There is just something about this little place that is unlike any other coffee company in which you automatically feel at home. To top it all off!!! Mantra is open from 6am – 1am EVERYDAY!

To give a quick refresher, the concept behind MYTHIRDPLACE comes from sociologist Ray Oldenburg who hypothesized that we all live in three separate places. The first of these places is home, the second is school or work, and the third place is left for each individual to personally identify as a place they live outside of the first two. While these three places remain somewhat separate, they are also connected, and greatly shape who we are, so much so that a change in one place will create either positive or negative effects in the other places. Mantra is the perfect example of a positive and change-making third place. A comfortable and homely coffee shop that can be used as a refuge to relax after a long day, engage in meaningful fellowship with others, or even provide a quiet space for time alone with Jesus, would be nothing short of a perfect third place. Our tag line here at M3P is “create what you wish existed” and that is exactly what Mantra is doing.

Mantra has only been in business for about two months now, but already they’ve become a favorite spot for many. You can tell just by entering the room that they are doing something different, but if that doesn’t quite sell you, hear it straight from them:

If Loveliness and Creativity had a baby, and that baby made a coffee and took a picture of it, this it what it’d look like.

“Our personal mantra is that we are passionate about people and we happen to make damn good coffee too… Mantra is a space, and a home for the community of Azusa. We are a house of coffee, a home for conversation, and a hope for a city. Our aim is to give more than we make with our 51% policy. When we make a cup of coffee, we hope that it creates a reason for conversation and connection. We exist for the community; we love Azusa and feel passionately about adding to the quality of life in this city. We are here because of a dream that was birthed out of hopes for betterment, and we hope that we can fund, inspire, and support other dreams in this city.”

This space Mantra is seeking to create is succeeding beyond measure. When other Mantra customers were asked about what made this coffee company as special as it is, the answers all echoed this same idea of comfort and ease:

“I love the soothing, warm, and raw vibes rooted within the atmosphere at Mantra, hence why cafes and coffee shops have to be one of my favorite places for comfort and refuge. It is close enough to the Azusa Pacific University campus that it works as the perfect coffee and conversation getaway with a companion. The baristas are persistently personal within their interactions with the customers, and the customers themselves tend to be genuine humans that find value within the engagement. I find myself drawn there because the space is a mirror to many modern day trends concerning minimalist interior design. Everything is simple and intentionally places. A perfect place to prepare and take a hovering photograph of one’s toast, tea, or coffee bean brew. I do plan to return, especially due to the elements of seating, friendly conversations, and genuine care and exceptional comfort from both.”

Hannah, Mantra Patron

“I think what draws me most to Mantra is the environment and the people. So much of what goes on there is centered around good conversation and good coffee. I also love that Mantra is a place where the community of Azusa Pacific University can meet the community of Azusa. I wouldn’t change a single thing about Mantra. I think that Jonny is doing a great job at creating a space that is warm and inviting. Because Mantra is in a house it gives you the vibe that you are in your dream home with a bunch of friends. How can you not feel comfortable in a home with a bunch of friends?”

Jo, Mantra Patron

We invite you to get involved in what Mantra is creating. Visit the shop, grab some damn good coffee, and check them out online to learn even more about this radically comfortable company!