Sweet Connie’s Café+ on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in downtown Milwaukee is more than just a place to grab blueberry, jalapeño, cheddar or plain bagels. For owner Connie, it represents a mission to help people become their best selves.
“I see this as a vessel. I believe my purpose here is to help as many people as I can be their best selves,” Connie said.
But like many new businesses, getting started wasn’t easy for Sweet Connie’s Café+. The café faced multiple challenges before even opening its doors.
“We had a few major setbacks. We had some contractual setbacks that played a big part in it. And once we finally did open, I got sick. You go in with a stomachache, you come out with stage 4 cancer, and it was just something to deal with,” Connie said.
A stage 4 cancer diagnosis came at the worst possible time — just as Connie was trying to get her brand-new business off the ground. She described it as a really rough year…