Owner
Rainbow Planet Coffee House
Tucson, Az
Rainbow Planet Coffeehouse and Cafe was an inclusive space centering LGBTQIA+ folks in Tucson, AZ. I became the owner in 2004. I worked in the shop approximately 30 hours per week, making coffee drinks and fulfilling breakfast/lunch/dinner orders for customers as they came in. I managed all fundamental operations: hiring and training employees; ordering from vendors and managing delivery or picking up from vendors who didn't deliver; I went shopping for all the food staples; I produced soups, casseroles, quiche, pie, and baked goods, in a commercial kitchen when I wasn't in the shop. I curated ongoing weekly and monthly events: calls to artists for art exhibitions; monthly poetry readings; multiple weekly musical events, and an annual music festival of local musicians. I designed and created posters and advertisements for all our events; which at that time included submitting announcements to local newspapers and radio through phone calls and snail mail. I managed all financial operations: vendor accounts; weekly/quarterly/annual payroll duties, unemployment insurance; monthly/quarterly/annual filing for State/City sales taxes; annual state and Federal taxes. I'd worked and managed the shop for the two previous owners beginning in the year 2000. I established close relationships with regular customers, neighboring businesses, and community organizations.
