18 Sept 28th–Oct 4th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | music | cafe | film | culTuRe | NighT+Day | feaTuRe | NeWs | OPiNiON | feeDBacK | cONTeNTs | Pivot of Passion Meet the woodworker and furniture designer behind Case Study Coffee Lounge. BY RUDRI PATEL W illiam Douglas had no idea that the show- room for his wood furniture business would turn into a coffee shop. But Case Study Coffee, located on 16th Street in Phoenix, debuted about four months ago. “Coffee has always been a transporter and the way I want to interact with people,” Douglas says. Douglas says coffee can entice people into conversation and, in a sales environ- ment, can create a strong connection. His coffee space at Case Study initially began as a wood shop where coffee was a part of the experience. He wanted to make shop- ping for custom made wood furniture an intimate and elevated experience. But Douglas’s intersections with custom wood furniture building and coffee happened out of necessity. How Case Study got its start Eleven years ago, Douglas was an elec- trician. When he bought his first house, he realized he couldn’t buy some of the furniture he wanted because it was too expensive. So, he decided to learn the craft and start building his own. “It was always much harder than I thought it would be, but once I start some- thing I see it all the way through, he says. Soon, people started noticing his designs and asking him to make things. He got hired by a local builder who had a large company making custom wood furniture. Douglas became the manager, but he couldn’t shake the notion that he had to go out on his own. “I felt like I had something to offer the community I had here, and I felt like I couldn’t do that in my role as a manager,” Douglas says, so he decided to open his own wood shop. Coffee became a way Douglas would invite his customers to stay for a while. “When they were coming in to commis- sion me for a piece, I would want them to sit in the furniture I made and have coffee,” Douglas says. “We had glass that divided the two main rooms and they could see their furniture being worked on,” he says. “I had an elevated product and so I wanted to have an elevated experience as well.” A hard knock When the pandemic hit, he turned to social media and educated others about wood- working. He offered classes and started a YouTube channel. But after dedicating himself to his craft, Douglas was forced to stop. “I developed an allergy to trees,” Douglas says, explaining that it took a long time to figure out what was going on and why he was sick. Doctors told him to stop woodworking. “That was the moment I decided to make my space a dedicated coffee shop,” he says. “I have a lease here, I have furni- ture I’ve built for my clients, and I already have a cafe set up for my clients.” Douglas admits he doesn’t have a “fancy” background in coffee, but he recog- nizes what people want out of a cafe including interior design and comfort. He’s learned about the business by leaning into what other coffee shop owners in the community are doing. The owners of Xanadu and Space Coffee have been integral, he says. “They have been so transparent,” he says, explaining that they have mentored him. His friends and mentors have been excited about the space “because there is a story here that is different from most coffee shops. This wasn’t born out of ‘I love coffee so much, I want to open a coffee shop someday.’ This was almost a reaction of something that was devastating, like a pivot of passion,” Douglas says. What’s on the menu? Douglas was discouraged when he found out about his diagnosis and decided to immerse himself in yet another endeavor. He’s now working in the kitchen behind the scenes. “I am learning how to cook. I found so much artistry in that and think it is similar to woodworking, but you’re working with different senses,” he says. Through experiments in the kitchen, Douglas has crafted a menu including house-made syrups for the coffee shop. “Instead of a vanilla latte, we have a brown sugar sage and it is our best-seller,” he says. Other flavors include lavender thyme and bergamot vanilla, as well as seasonal flavors. In terms of the food menu, Case Study offers savory and sweet crepes like Nutella and banana, as well as avocado toast and overnight oats. Douglas hopes to expand the menu in the future. The newfound coffee shop owner hasn’t entirely left woodworking behind. He still has a woodworking shop which he manages and then spends his time at Case Study. Combined with specialty coffee and food, Douglas is proud of the space he’s created at Case Study. “Stay for a while,” he says. “The more time you spend here, the more you discover.” Case Study Coffee Lounge 4802 N. 16th St. Case Study Coffee opened four months ago in Phoenix, meaning William Douglas had to pivot from being a custom wood furniture builder to a coffee shop owner. (Photos courtesy WDC Productions) ▼ Chow
