South End Gem Awards | Jose Luis Rodriguez and Leona Moore-Rodriguez: Building Community, One Latte at a Time

Heroes are all around us, in our families, friend groups, and local communities. For years, the South Seattle Emerald has written and reported on stories of resilience from historically marginalized and misrepresented communities.

This year, on Oct. 25 from 1 to 4 p.m., the Emerald will host T'Challaween, a trick-or-treat costume parade that will provide space for community members to celebrate and embody the heroes and people that inspire them. T'Challaween is presented in partnership with Beacon Arts.

In addition, the event will also highlight heroes across the South End who have devoted themselves to making the community a better place. These people are called South End Gem Honorees.

The first South End Gem Honorees are Jose Luis Rodriguez and Leona Moore-Rodriguez, co-owners of The Station, coffee shops with locations near the Beacon Hill and Columbia City light rail stations. They are known for their delicious drinks and the community they have created.

They make every ounce of coffee with love, and it shows. Each Station combines the upbringing and identity of ​​Rodriguez and Moore-Rodriguez with the love they have for building welcoming spaces.

Rodriguez is an immigrant from Mexico. His father introduced him to coffee at a young age, and they would frequently bond over a cup of coffee and pan dulce, a traditional Mexican sweet bread. Moore-Rodriguez is Black and a fourth-generation Washingtonian from the Central District and Columbia City.

Together, they wanted to have a business that represents both of their cultures. With coffee originating from Ethiopia, it felt like the right fit.

They both moved to Beacon Hill in the late '90s, which immediately felt like home for them. The neighborhood was racially and ethnically diverse, with people from "different walks of life," Rodriguez said.

"From the beginning, I felt that that was my neighborhood," he added.

Having a coffee shop owned by a Black and Brown couple made a huge difference for people in the community, because it helped create a more welcoming and inclusive coffee-shop environment, said Moore-Rodriguez.

"Now it's a bit different, but back in the day, you just didn't feel as comfortable in a coffee shop," she added.

Rodriguez, who considers himself an extrovert, frequently interacts and makes small talk with customers. His favorite part of running the coffee shop is seeing people walk in and leave with a smile.

Moore-Rodriguez, who considers herself to be an introvert, stays behind the counter and says her favorite part is making the drinks look pretty and ensuring each drink tastes good.

The Station hosts different community events such as poetry nights, daytime parties, and coworking events, making it a third space many people in the South End enjoy.

The couple created the coffee shop with the intention to feel welcoming, from drink names like the D'Angelo, which is a brown sugar latte, to the colorful murals of Black and Brown people, to the music they play.

"Obviously, we're a business, we depend on business, but many times we tell our own community, like, 'Hey, if you don't have nothing, come through, just chill, use our Wi-Fi, and just be here within the community,'" Rodriguez added.

This resonated with Raquel Gomez, who is one of the chapter co-leads of Corporate Pero Latinos, a group focused on creating community for Latinx individuals in corporate jobs. The group meets monthly at the Columbia City location to chat, drink coffee, and co-work together.

"Here in Seattle, we're so big on coffee shops, but do you necessarily feel welcomed in all the spaces?" Gomez said. "When you come [into The Station], you hear the Spanish music, you see representation behind the counter, they have graffiti on their walls, and it makes it so inclusive and safe."

Gomez, a homegrown Seattleite who lives in North Seattle, grew up feeling like she didn't have a community. Now The Station "feels like home" and has become a space for her and others to connect and build new relationships.

"Growing up, I've always wanted spaces where I felt comfortable and could hear my language," Gomez said. "I didn't have that in the community, in my neighborhood, so it was like something that I sought out for all my life."

Rodriguez and Moore-Rodriguez said the best thing about the South End is the people, and they know they wouldn't be able to do what they do in any other city or area of Seattle.

While they're proud of the space they've built, their greatest accomplishments have been raising their family.

"We have one kid who's going to school in Japan and living in Japan, and then we have another one who's in college," Rodriguez said. "We have two kids who are doing amazing for themselves thanks to the hard work of an immigrant Mexican man and a Black woman in America."

The Emerald will highlight more South End Gem Honorees leading up to T'Challaween. Up next will be a community organizer from Beacon Hill.