WASHINGTON INFORMER: At Laurel’s Love Life Cafe, you can find a vegan-friendly menu with fresh pressed juices such as the Punch Shot and Hydration Station that are so popular, they are now offered for bulk purchase.
Owner Magdalena Gebrekristos has decades of experience in government and tech consulting, but her true passion is coffee and health.
“My healthy lifestyle and love for coffee was the impetus for opening the Love Life Cafe – a place that would uplift and inspire the community, where folks could meet and share an enhanced coffee experience,” she said. Now, this space offers vegans and non-vegans a place to grab ready-made and healthy food without sacrificing taste.
The beverage menu features cafe staples such as espresso, cafe au lait and lattes. Their food offerings include avocado toast and an açaí bowl.
Some past events hosted at this space include a quarterly paint and sip, along with past collaborations with the Prince Georges County Chamber of Commerce and the Bowie Business Innovation Center.
Gebrekristos would like to see the General Assembly and Governor Moore level the playing field for Black entrepreneurs.
“Legislation allowing businesses to refinance and consolidate their debt through a revamping of their micro-loan programs would translate to thousands of dollars in savings, which small businesses can then use to grow. Their growth means growth for the community,” she suggested.
She plans to grow her business in coming years to neighborhoods in Prince George’s with a need for healthy food and delicious drinks.
Like many local entrepreneurs, Gebrekristos emphasized that small businesses have different interests at stake than national corporations.
“Our communities are where we work, live, build relationships and grow. We cannot underestimate the power of growing our individual communities as this translates to growth and prosperity as a nation,” she said. “Keeping our dollars within our community means we increase the community’s wealth overall.”
