New Coffee Shop Opens in Richmond to Support Nonprofit
The Collective Cup uses coffee retail revenue to fund transitional housing and employment programs for the community.
Updated on Oct. 27, 2026 in Openings & Closings
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The Collective Cup has opened in Richmond's Shockoe Bottom neighborhood at 104 N. 19th Street. The coffee shop operates as a revenue-generating vehicle for the nonprofit Our Community Home, which provides transitional recovery housing and employment assistance.
Why it matters
The shop integrates social mission work directly into its business model by directing coffee sales proceeds toward food, clothing, and household supplies for those in the nonprofit's care. This model uses retail foot traffic to sustain social services and facilitate community mental health discussions.
The Collective Cup occupies a building at 104 N. 19th Street purchased in December 2025. The enterprise now directs retail revenue toward supporting the transitional housing and employment programs managed by Our Community Home.
The players
The Collective Cup
A newly opened coffee shop in Richmond operating as a social enterprise.
Our Community Home
A nonprofit organization providing transitional recovery housing and employment assistance.
Gregory Marcelle
The founder of both The Collective Cup and Our Community Home.
Metropolitan Business League
A local organization that supports business growth and attended the opening.
The details
Founder Gregory Marcelle utilizes a cross-subsidization strategy where coffee shop profit margins cover necessities for the nonprofit's program participants. Beyond retail transactions, the space serves as an operational hub for community programming including yoga, meditation, and group mental health discussions.
Timeline
December 2025: Building purchased by Gregory Marcelle.
October 26, 2026: The Collective Cup held its grand opening.
Market Landscape
This opening follows the established pattern of social enterprises that integrate mission-driven fundraising into daily retail operations. It highlights a growing trend of businesses leveraging commercial real estate to sustain community-focused nonprofit work.
Business owners looking to integrate social initiatives should track how The Collective Cup utilizes its space to host low-cost community events like yoga and meditation to drive foot traffic. This model demonstrates one approach to diversifying revenue streams while maintaining a distinct local market identity.
The takeaway
Social enterprises must balance retail sales growth with the operational costs of their affiliated nonprofit programs. Operators should monitor how this shop scales its community programming against the baseline of its coffee sales to determine the long-term viability of this revenue-sharing model.
Further reading
For more on new local businesses, see the latest updates in Richmond Openings & Closings.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 12onyourside.
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