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Date: 3/2/2021
CHICOPEE – One Chicopee coffee shop has turned into a place that not only brings people together for delicious beverages, but also for their biweekly running group that works to combat isolation.
Goodworks Coffee House has been a staple of the Chicopee community since 2018. Known for their lattes and locally sourced sweet treats, owners Victor and Katie Narvaez say that one mission of Goodworks is connecting with the community. During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Katie said many customers told her that they felt disconnected and isolated from others. This prompted Katie Narvaez to start a biweekly running group.
Goodworks Women’s Runners Group now helps women stay fit, cultivate friendships and continue to stay community oriented. The group has met every other Sunday at 9 a.m. since April 2020, according to Narvaez. Narvaez has been an avid runner since high school and knew that now would be the perfect time to start the group.
“It was when a lot of the gyms were shut down and people couldn’t really get out and exercise,” she said. “It was something that, with the pandemic, and just hearing a lot of our customers being frustrated that they can’t get out, they can’t exercise and then just my passion with running and the coffee shop, we thought ‘why not start this runner’s group now?'”
Women of all fitness levels are invited to join the group. The run usually lasts for a little over an hour and Narvaez said that walking is welcome, though she asks any walkers to bring along a buddy.
“It’s nice if you’re walking that you have somebody walking with you to kind of keep you company, but I run back and forth to make sure nobody gets lost or left behind,” she said.
When the snow is clear, runners usually follow the canal path down Chicopee Center. Recently, with snow covering the path, the runners have followed an alternate route down Front Street, to Szot Park and back to Goodworks.
According to Narvaez, the runners group has ranged from four members to 12 members during the warmer months. Many members of the group have expressed gratitude and appreciation to Narvaez for starting this group.
“A lot of people really appreciate it and I’ve had a consistent group of women that’ve said it’s really helped them with the pandemic and all of the changes and just knowing that they can still come out and exercise. People have made new friendships, so it’s been really nice,” she said.
One added perk to joining the group is the coffee. On the last meeting of the month, runners will receive a free Goodworks coffee after their run.
Narvaez said that runners have mostly come from Chicopee and Springfield, but that anyone is welcome to join. Updates on the runners group are posted frequently on the Goodworks Coffee House Facebook page.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Narvaez said that Goodworks has been blessed with community support. The coffee shop has remained open, but has had to switch their indoor seating model to mostly online ordering and grab-and-go pickup.
“Even though it’s been very difficult and it’s been stressful, we’ve definitely been blessed with the community support,” she said. “I think our customers have really appreciated that we’ve been consistent and that they were still able to get their favorite drinks in the midst of complete chaos in the world.”
Looking ahead in 2021, Narvaez said she is looking forward to continuing the runners group and also focusing on more community-based projects.
“Part of our coffee shop is really working with other local businesses and other people within the community so we just want to keep connecting and then we also want to offer more menu options this year,” said Narvaez.