Study Hall - "Coffee, Care, and the Return of the Neighbor"

Study Hall a monthly learning series where local experts, scholars, and enthusiasts speak for 45 minutes on topics that excite them. June we are featuring Daniel Lancaster, founder of Short Sleeve Coffee in Swannanoa.

What does a coffee shop have to do with loneliness?

Probably more than you’d expect.

In an age when loneliness is quietly winning, this talk is about how simple things—making something with care, showing outrageous hospitality, and creating intentional spaces full of surprise and delight—can actually bring people back together. Drawing from building a small coffee shop, Daniel shares ideas and stories about how we can create places, whether in business or at home, where people feel seen, cared for, and a little less alone.

Bio: Daniel Lancaster runs Short Sleeves Coffee, a coffee shop and roastery in Swannanoa, NC. He’s worked in coffee for years as a barista, roaster, and writer, including publishing a book on coffee along the way. Lately, his focus has been the merging of coffee itself and what coffee can create—spaces where people feel a little more connected.