Coffee shop owner with Down syndrome employs others with special needs

Nektario Tsinonis hasn’t let Down syndrome stop him from accomplishing his dreams. The Maryland native is now CEO of his very own coffee shop, and he’s building his business by employing others with special needs.

With the help and support of his family, Nektario runs Beans & Dreams – Nektario’s Place, a coffee shop in Middletown, Maryland. Nektario learned the business working in his family’s Greek restaurant, but as his mother Joana explained, he always expressed a desire to create a coffee shop of his own.

“He always said he wanted something with his name on it,” Joana said.

Beans and Dreams | Maryland coffee shop owned and operated by staff with special needs

The shop’s slogan, “A café and coffee shop dedicated to attaining life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for young adults with disabilities,” is fitting, given the shop aims to primarily employ people with special needs.

“Everyone has a place here, or at least we hope so,” Joana told WUSA. Elaborating to Frederick Magazine, she said the employees aren’t merely there to work, but to learn life skills that help them feel like they are part of the local community.

“What we do is teach them to be part of society, and to be appropriate, learn how to ask questions, and engage people,” she said.

Helping those with special needs is just part of the goal, as the family also recognizes the need to provide quality service. In addition to specialty coffee, the shop also serves baked goods and savory items.

Speaking about Nektario’s early life, Joana explained that she was fearful when she learned her son had Down syndrome, but those fears were unfounded. “I thought my world would be very different in a bad way,” she said. “But it was very different in the best of ways.”

“I regret feeling that way every day for the past 25 years. He’s been a blessing,” she added.