“I am a heroin addict.”

Those words will usually lead to a prospective employee being shown the door. But that’s not the case at Hope and Coffee, Tamaqua’s newest coffee shop, located at 137 Pine St.

Hope and Coffee, Tamaqua’s only coffee shop, had its official opening Thursday morning. Like most grand openings, there were plenty of dignitaries and professional people. But it was the employees and the concept receiving the most attention.

While Hope and Coffee has many of the same goals as any business, it’s the priorities of its supporters where you find the biggest difference.

Yes, there’s the need for sustainability, to be a financial success, but the main goal is to support and normalize recovery for addicts from all walks of life.

A project of the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership, the driving force behind the new business is Lisa Scheller, chairwoman of Silberline Manufacturing Company, who admits to being a recovering alcoholic. Every employee is someone whose life has been impacted by an addiction, whether to alcohol or drugs.

“When one in 10 deaths in my hometown is drug related, it’s time to shed this coat and shine the brightest light to show that addiction can happen to anyone, and recovery is possible. Not just for me, but for everyone who embraces it,” Scheller said.

Scheller recalled spending “35 years living with a coat of shame and anonymity; a coat my family asked me to wear; a coat I willingly put on myself out of a sense of guilt; a coat that society put on me with the stigma that says addicts are bad people.”

Scheller wants those who don’t suffer from an addiction to realize the disease can happen to anyone. She also wants addicts to know that recovery is possible, not just for her, but for “everyone who embraces it.”

Scheller added, “I grew up here and still work here. Now, I’m going to be coming here regularly just to hang and drink coffee.”

Barista Sica Brown of Klingerstown shared her personal story of addiction and recovery. The mother of a 1-year-old, she related how her child brought her “from the bottom depths to a new beginning. I checked myself in to an intensive rehab program and started the road to recovery. But after rehab, it was difficult to find a way to support my son. I went on hundreds of job interviews. I did well, until I admitted to my drug-related past. Then, all those doors shut. That’s not what happened here.”

The coffee shop is being managed by Lauren Collura, a Tamaqua native currently pursuing a master’s degree in substance use disorders from Drexel University. Plans are to have the shop open for extended hours to meet the needs of the community.

Micah Gursky, TACP executive director, served as master of ceremonies, explaining the concept and vision behind the coffee shop.

He admitted, “Hope and Coffee will not solve the issues our community faces with addiction. This is about recovery, the other side of addiction. This doesn’t prevent addiction, but changes the conversation about addiction. Supporting recovery is not complicated. It’s very easy. Just come and drink some coffee and be part of the community.”