Mithra Ayati ’26 decided to transform part of Feldman Horn into a creative hub by combining the concept of a coffee shop and her love for art. Last spring, Ayati created Cafe Meech, which serves Italian-style espressos. The grand opening of her business was at the combined art show and flea market at the Feldman-Horn Gallery. Ayati said she combined her two passions because she noticed the space was underused.
“I felt like there was a lot of open space and we weren’t really utilizing it to its full capacity,” Ayati said. “[Drawing and Painting is] my favorite class, so [I thought] about how I could make the space somewhere people can come and enjoy it as much as I do.”
Ayati initially struggled with funding , but Upper School Visual Arts Teachers Whitney Lasker and Conor Thompson helped support her.
“I told Mr. Thompson and Mr. Lasker that I had this crazy idea, and that I didn’t really know what to do because no one wanted to help me fund or start it,” Ayati said. They told me [we should] start on a small scale and do some pop-ups while we could. That’s not really what I envisioned, but I wanted to make it happen. Mr. Thompson and Mr. Lasker both got the Breville coffee machine so that I could use one of them occasionally.”
Lilly Stobo ’26 said she thought the concept of the coffee shop was a great way to bring together the community and spotlight the art department.
“I thought it was a cool idea to bring together a space where students and faculty could both get a caffeine boost and enjoy art,” Stobo said. “It gives people a place where they can just take their mind off of school and be with friends or potentially talk to new people.”
Ayati said the first school event she organized with the Lasker and Thomspon was this year’s spring gallery, which was both a nerve-wracking and fulfilling moment for her.
“We decided that the best time would be during the spring gallery opening for the first pop-up,” Ayati said. “I was very nervous and scared that [I would] make coffee that people wouldn’t like or no one would show up. We brought the coffee machine and got a mini fridge from the art teachers’ department. But once we organized everything, it was actually really fun. A lot of people came.”
Allison Binder (Sienna ’26) said she enjoyed the idea of appreciating her daughter’s artwork while drinking coffee.
“I originally went to the coffee shop to see my daughter’s artwork displayed and all the other students’ work, but I was pleasantly surprised by the coffee shop,” Binder said. “The coffee was great, and it was a lovely experience to have a treat while looking at the beautiful work.”
Ayati said the first pop-up taught her the importance of following her interests and how taking risks can lead to rewarding growth.
“I’ve realized it’s important to try new things, even if it’s hard not to care what people think,” Ayati said. “If you don’t pursue what you’re passionate about, you’ll regret not doing it. Now that I’ve done it once, I know I can do it again and hopefully grow it into something bigger.”
Ayati said it was hard for others to understand her idea initially, but support grew after the first event.
“At first, it’s hard for people to see the vision, but now that it’s happened and both teachers and students showed up, I think they’re starting to understand it,” Ayati said. “As an entrepreneur, it’s tough when people don’t see what you see. They doubt you, they say no and it takes them seeing it in action to believe in the potential in order to support you.”
