Albany coffee shop to offer free skills workshops

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Jethro’s doesn’t offer just coffee to its customers.

Soon, customers will be able to sip and socialize in the coffee shop and then take a course on a subject like songwriting before they head home.

“We’ll be offering throughout the year free classes for the community, whether it’s life or soft skills classes like financial literacy, resume writing,” Jon Gurr, shop owner, said.

Burr was planning this business venture right as the pandemic hit.

Jon Gurr, owner of Jethro's, prepares coffee on Free Coffee Friday.(WALB)

“We had a number of volunteers get sick, which really slowed us down as far as quarantining and everything that comes with that,” he said.

With renovations nearly done, it is almost time for Gurr to open his doors.

The coffee is used to keep the business afloat and to help bring in people to teach classes. The shop is still under renovations. They’ve been using “Free Coffee Fridays,” or hot chocolate if you’re not a coffee drinker, in the meantime to help bring awareness to their promise to help benefit the community.

“We want to do everything to promote downtown Albany,” Burr said. “It is a fantastic downtown.”

The first class they will offer will be for songwriting. Even if you’re not a musician, the instructors of the course still believe you should come.

“Sometimes I feel like you have people that are creatives and artists and they love expression but they’re not sure how to put that freedom of expression into a structure. Like a song and how to release what they are feeling inside,” Gurr said.

“The huge part of what we want to see happen with the songwriter workshop is to give people their individual voice,” Hannah Morrison, course instructor, said.

Morrison will be teaching the course with her partner.

Workshops will be offered at least every month, Gurr said.

The first workshop is planned for next Dec. 16.