Customers will be transported to the 70s’ in this coffee boutique come op-shop. The vibrant psychedelic colours and vinyl tunes of Roy Orbison and The White stripes are just a few of the ambient sounds customers can expect at Reactivate.
The shop is run by Simmo Heinrich, a mustached barista with a passion for coffee and treasured second hand clothes. The idea for a combined shop started as an activate Community church project, and has spiraled into a coffee haven for locals who don’t mind a cheap coffee and a bargain clothes item.
“Coffee has been an unexpected strength of the business and people keep coming back for it,” Simmo says. “Initially, people came in for the second hand clothes, now they come for the coffee and they get more of a shock when they see the clothes are just $3.”
The shop is not-for-profit, run by a team of volunteers with all proceeds going to three charitable projects; Free To Be Kids; an area development project in Cambodia; and a free breakfast program for western high school communities in adelaide.
Simmo has only been working with coffee for a year but says he finds his new interest exhilarating. “I never drank coffee before this job, now I’m very passionate about it,” he says.
The coffee boutique/op-shop uses Five Senses’ Harmony blend, which Simmo describes as having “nutty flavours with a strong sweetness”. They also offer single origin beans, such as the Veerattikan from India, ensuring all coffee is ethically sourced.
Reactivate uses a Rancilio two-group coffee machine that simmo bought for $500 from a closing subway restaurant.
One year on, Simmo says listening to an old turn-table, sorting clothes and serving coffee customers makes him content in his new profession. “When I can create something truly exceptional, I enjoy sharing it with people,” he says.