Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Struckel
Hi Ryan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born and raised in the city of Barberton and have always had a passion for the community. Barberton has a sense of hometown pride that is stronger and unlike many other places I have ever seen. As a student at Barberton High School, I started working at Lake 8 Movies when it opened in 2013, and determined that I loved the idea of media and digital content creation as a future career. I decided that I would love the opportunity to work on movie sets and be part of that creation process, as film and immersive storytelling was a passion of mine.
I attended Ohio University for Integrated Media, and after participating in the Disney College Program, returned home to Barberton and started working in Cleveland on the set of live events. I was running audio/visual equipment for concerts, professional sporting events, Downtown Cleveland festivals, corporate meetings, films, and many other exciting events. It was a very fun experience, but the inconsistent schedule and drive were hard, and I wasn’t ready to move to Cleveland at that time. In 2019, I ended up deciding to slow down and follow other opportunities that were closer to home, and that put me on the path I am on today.
During that next year is when I went through a lot of personal growth, and met my absolutely amazing to-be wife. We endured the “long-distance” covid relationship towards the beginning, but then started traveling again and doing all of the fun things that we love to do. She is an insanely caring person with a huge heart, and has brought so much joy and love into my life. She is my best friend and encourages me, knows how to cheer me up, make me laugh, and makes me want to be the best version of myself. We are celebrating our one year wedding anniversary this September, and I am looking forward to our long future together!
In the midst of Kavé Coffee Bar’s covid closure, the general manager position became available. As Kavé and Lake 8 Movies are both owned and operated by Neighborhood Development Services, I had an opportunity to apply because of my previous employment there. We reopened in 2021 and have been serving the community every day since! Recently we have expanded our menu to include new lunch options, and are constantly coming up with fun new drinks that often engage with the community. Our Open Mic Nights and Artist of the Month programs have been flourishing, and Kavé just celebrated it’s 10 year anniversary this past July! We have been scheduling new events and art class nights, and working with Main Street Barberton to bring people downtown.
I have had the opportunity to get involved with Main Street Barberton over the last few years because of my position at Kavé, and am so excited for the work that is being done downtown. We have been planning some very exciting events so far, and are looking forward to the upcoming festivals and future of Downtown Barberton! We are very focused on helping engage our community through activities and revitalizing our Historic Downtown Arts and Entertainment District to create a unique downtown experience. The support from the Barberton community has been outstanding, and we are always looking for others to join us in growing our local community.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There are always hurdles and challenges in life, and its often rare to find a mountaintop without first finding a valley. Facing things head on with faith, hope, a positive attitude, and knowing that failure is part of life can make all the difference in the outcome of personal struggles. Charging forward and not giving up when you are in a difficult life season, often leads to the best rewards.
After college, I really wanted to return to Disney in a Professional Internship role. Unfortunately, that was not in the cards for me at that time and I returned home to begin job hunting; which was a much longer process than expected. Having just graduated, I was really looking forward to utilizing my degree and entering into a position that I had worked so hard to be able to have the opportunity to achieve. In reality, it took many months of searching before I was able to begin working in the event world in Cleveland. That position started as a freelance job, which was stressful in and of itself because I was not guaranteed employment during that time.
After becoming employed closer to home, I was in a position where I had a more uniform schedule, which I liked, but I was not utilizing my degree and eventually got moved to a location that was almost as far away as Cleveland was. This position is also where I was during covid and all of the stress, illness, and unemployment scares that came along with it. Reopening the coffee shop after the shutdown was also a stressful time, as I was jumping right into an established food service business with an unprecedented amount of regulations and challenges regarding the pandemic. There was a lot to learn and it was extremely overwhelming at times, but I am so lucky to have had my wife in my corner, and an amazing support system who encouraged me through.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am the general manager of Kavé Coffee Bar in Downtown Barberton. We pride ourselves on being a community hub where people are free to come hang out, meet friends and family, draw/paint, get work done, have meetings, preform music, and have a fun safe space to grow, all while enjoying a fantastic cup of coffee or alternative beverage.
We host a weekly Open Mic Night every Thursday where local artists are able to come perform, learn, and grow in their talents. So many young local musicians have started their careers by performing on our Open Mic Night stage! Sign-ups begin at 5:30pm and performances are 6-8:30pm. We also have a rotating art display every month where we feature local artist’s work. We have had written poetry, paintings, photography, even clothing and sculpture works! I love that we are able to be a place that inspires art and creativity in our community!
One of the things I am most proud of is being selected by Barberton City School for their “I Am Barberton Schools” achievement program. They recognized me for making impact as a community leader and shared my story online and on posters placed in the lobby and libraries of each school. I love being involved with the schools and have volunteered with their middle school leadership program for years. We have also set up a program that allows teachers to place a drink/food order from Kavé and have it delivered to their school in the morning.
I have enjoyed my years at Kavé Coffee Bar and am looking forward to the future! I have a passion for the Barberton community and in growing our downtown. Just this year we were able to acquire more space and expand our storefront to include a new stockroom, office and delivery space. I am looking forward to everything that we are working to achieve downtown, as a city, business, and through the Main Street Barberton organization.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
The word “unprecedented” is so often used when talking about covid, and in our current society, I would say that it is accurate. Covid-19 posed so many issues to local businesses, and I would be inclined to say that most people learned important lessons during that time. Weather that being the working world or the personal one.
One of my biggest personal takeaways from covid is that the world is extremely unpredictable. While this is not an earth-shattering discovery, sometimes its easy to forget. We fall into a routine of daily life, and while we may not know the details of what each day may hold, we expect the same overarching way of life. It is easy to think about issues that affect the “norm” of our day to day, but its never expected when something makes as big of an impact as covid did. We shouldn’t live in fear of that, but it puts into prospective what is important in life. Take the extra time to reach out to family and friends. See your loved ones and enjoy the time you have together. Tomorrow, while expected, is not guaranteed.
While I was not at Kavé during the height of the covid crisis and closures, I was part of the team who was reopening after closing for the holiday season of 2020. My biggest business takeaway is adaptability; which can also be a personal lesson as well. The world is evolving and businesses need to grow and adapt with it. While it is not always a good idea to take your entire business model and throw it out the window, adding and subtracting elements can be a great way to stay relevant and survive crisis situations or even just the passage of time. Growth is not possible without a feeling of discomfort and fear, but is necessary for success.
Pricing:
- House Coffee (Hot) 12oz – $1.95 | 16oz – $2.20 | 20oz $2.45 (Iced) 16oz -$2.80 | 24oz $3.10
- Bagel w/ House Made Cream Cheese Schmear – $3.75 (Plain, Rosemary, Everything, Cinnamon and a variety of Cream Cheese Flavors)
- Latte 12oz – $3.20 | 16oz – $3.90 | 20oz – $4.30 (Iced) 16oz -$3.90 | 24oz $4.30 (Frozen) 16oz – $4.15 | 24oz – $4.60
- Organic Teas (Hot) 12oz – $2.75 | 16oz – $2.95 | 20oz $3.15 (Iced) 16oz -$2.25 | 24oz $2.65
- Piranha Bite Energy (Iced) 16oz -$5.50 | 24oz $6.25
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kavecoffeebar.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kavecoffeebar/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kavecoffeebar
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kav%C3%A9-coffee-bar-barberton-2
- Other: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/kave-coffee-bar/id1487206466
