Janet Miller | For AnnArbor.com

The baristas at Common Cup Coffeehouse are known to serve up a good cup of coffee: Their beans are locally roasted, often organic and fairly traded.

But they are also known to serve up, upon request, a good shot of comfort. Located in the basement of student-focused University Lutheran Chapel on Washtenaw Avenue, the Common Cup opened two years ago as a place for believers and non-believers alike to gather for a cup of joe, a respite from the maddening world and the chance to learn about Christianity, if they want.

The Common Cup, walking distance from the University of Michigan campus, has attracted the mixed crowd it had hoped for, said Theresa Rickloff, assistant manager who runs the day-to-day operation.

There are Bible study groups that meet along with customers interested in learning about the church or religion. But there are also members of the knitting club Stitch ‘n Bitch, a half-dozen regulars who use the space as their ad-hoc office and customers looking for espresso.

Opening a coffeehouse in the basement of the chapel, which is affiliated with St. Luke Lutheran Church a short drive down Washtenaw Avenue, was all about building community, Rickloff said. That means Lutherans and other Christians, skeptics, doubters and anyone looking for a premium cup of coffee or tea, a pastry or light meal.

“We see the Common Cup as a porch - a place to gather. We want to be able to welcome more people to be part of a community in a way chapel can’t,” Rickloff said. “It’s an extension of the chapel, but some people will feel more comfortable coming to a coffeeshop than coming to a chapel.”

But if a customer coming in for coffee wants “to go upstairs” to check out the chapel, that’s good, she said. But there’s no pressure.

There has been confusion since the coffeehouse opened its doors in September 2007. Some have thought it was a soup kitchen, others that customers had to be baptized. 



The coffeehouse is a way to bring churchgoers together. It’s also a way to introduce non-churchgoers to faith, Rickloff said.

“We want to show that church is not creepy, that it’s not manipulative. Maybe they don’t go to church, but coming here may give them a better view of what a church is.

“There’s no martyr bleeding to death, that we serve real coffee but that we’re also part f the chapel. There’s a balance and it can be tricky but ultimately that’s the really wonderful part.”

Common Cup has become a meeting place for not only members of University Lutheran Chapel but for other churches.

“It’s all about creating community as opposed to being a single, isolated church,” Rickloff said.

Members from other churches hold Bible study and prayer meetings at the coffeehouse The quality of the coffee often surprises people, Rickloff said. The direct-trade beans are purchased from the Ugly Mug in Ypsilanti, where they are roasted.

The coffeehouse also acts as an art gallery for local shows and offers free entertainment at least a couple of times a month with music and comedians. 


While the nonprofit coffeehouse isn’t out to make money, they hope to someday break even, Rickloff said. That hasn’t happened yet, and the Common Cup receives support from the church and individuals.

They had to cut back some Saturday hours because traffic was slow, but business this fall is slightly up from a year ago, Rickloff said. Summers are hard. Weeknights and Sunday mornings are the busiest times.

Still, it is a business. It is in the middle of a rebranding effort, rolling out a new logo and signage.

The original logo carried an image of clasped hands holding a steamy mug along with the Common Cup name, but no mention that it was a coffeehouse, Rickloff said. That lead some people to believe it was a soup kitchen.

The new logo carries the Common Cup name along with a modern-looking coffee cup with a swirl of steam