A coffee shop hidden inside a Vineland library creates opportunity for adults with disabilities

It wasn’t until Noel Perez vented on Facebook that he was able to help his son, Victor Perez, find a job in South Jersey.

Noel Perez, 42, of Vineland, Cumberland County, said local employers expected Victor Perez, 19, to donate his time rather than get paid. Because his son is a student with autism in the Salem County Special Services School District, Noel Perez said people wanted him to just be a volunteer.

But his social media post led to the suggestion that Victor Perez apply for a role at Inclusion Cafe — a new nonprofit coffee shop tucked away in Vineland Public Library employing adults with disabilities.

“I love it so far,” Victor Perez said. “I go in and clock in, get my apron. ... I like the caramel hot coffee.”

Inclusion Cafe at 1058 E. Landis Ave., which opened in early May, is an offshoot of Inclusion Coffee Shop in Elmer, Salem County, which opened in 2022.

The cafes were founded by Amanda Vellon, 38, who grew up in Vineland and now lives in Elmer. Both focus on career development for adults with disabilities, and Vellon said the coffee shops have hired 15 staff members with disabilities and seven without. Vellon said employees make $16 an hour, plus tips.

Victor Perez said he’s made five friends on the job since he started in May and works about two-and-a-half days per week. He said he likes when the nonprofit features him in TikTok videos.

“It’s inviting for people like Victor,” Noel Perez said. “It gives him opportunity and chances for people to interact with him and for him to interact with people.”

In 2021, after a surprise pregnancy, Vellon found out her son had a heart defect during an ultrasound appointment, and later Down syndrome at 32 weeks. Vellon said the diagnosis brought on “a roller coaster of emotions,” and she wanted to find a way to spread joy and keep people from feeling scared about their children’s futures.

“My husband said, ‘We want to own a restaurant. Why don’t we try a coffee shop?’” Vellon said. “After some thought, I said, ‘Let’s do it, but let’s do it with a purpose.’”

Vellon’s son, Rome, is 5 years old now. The Elmer location, a business at 119 S. Main St., has kept on, and after registering Inclusion Cafe as a community and economic development nonprofit in 2025, Vellon moved to work with Vineland Mayor Anthony Fanucci and other officials to incorporate the coffee shop there.

“The Inclusion Cafe is about creating opportunities and making sure everyone in our community feels welcome and valued,” Fanucci said in an emailed statement. “The Vineland Public Library has always been a place where people come together to learn, connect, and access important resources, so it was a natural fit for a program that promotes inclusion and independence.”

Luis Amberths, business manager at Vineland Public Library, said the library serves about 600 people every day. As a community hub for Vineland’s 60,000 residents, staff have been seeking ways to expand its services, including in the form of an esports room. The new cafe was a mutually beneficial way to expand upon those offerings, Amberths said.

Despite the cafe leasing a nontraditional space toward the back of the library, Amberths said customers are still finding their way there and checking out books, too.

“In spite of all that, it’s being found. ... We were pretty busy already because of what we offer and the programming we have, but it’s been tenfold because of what [the cafe] has done,” Amberths said.

The coffee shop offers coffee flights, specialty lattes, homemade syrups, and breakfast items, influenced by what Vellon’s own children like. Rome’s favorite, a plain bagel with cream cheese, made the cut. Staples from her two other kids, including a bacon, sausage, egg, and cheese on a strawberry bagel with strawberry jam, are featured, too.

“I was very anxious before opening. ... It’s not a storefront. We don’t necessarily have foot traffic. It’s not very visible to the road,” Vellon said. “I had a lot of reservations, but none of that has stopped the community from coming to support us.”