Tullio’s Pedaling Cafe Brings Neighbors Together
Photo and Article by Amy Miller
On a beautiful, crisp Halloween morning, I had the pleasure of chatting with Allie Lawson, proprietor of Tullio’s Pedaling Cafe in the Spring Creek neighborhood. Every Friday during the school year from 8:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. (adding in Thursdays during the summer), Allie bikes to the Spring Creek Community Clubhouse, located at 2201 St. Paul Drive, with a full cart of delicious coffee and tea options as well as enticing homemade baked goods. Allie has been providing this vibrant neighborhood with her wonderful offerings since 2022, and Tullio’s is becoming a standard gathering place for neighbors and even passersby to commune and share in Allie’s delectable fare and community fellowship.
A teacher by trade, Allie has long enjoyed supporting her community and building relationships. As the world entered the Covid pandemic in 2020, Allie grew increasingly interested in finding a way for people to connect with one another, even with restrictions imposed by global conditions. Following a childhood dream of running a mobile popsicle stand, Allie started investigating how to make her dream come true. This led her to the Ferla bike cart company based in San Diego, where she found the cart of her dreams: a battery-powered, fully refrigerated, 500-pound contraption with a comfortable padded seat and plenty of storage. After saving her own stimulus and tax refund money and receiving a generous donation from extended family, Allie furthered her quest by pitching her business model to the Spring Creek HOA.
As Allie said, “There is great reward when a project becomes much more than a task and maintains serving people at its heart.” With this philosophy in mind, Allie pleaded her case to the HOA, proving to the board that her deepest intent was to build community rather than make a profit. Although she started by biking around neighborhood parks, she soon realized that having a stable, central location would better help her achieve her communal goal. Her focus on building community includes using coffee beans locally roasted by Hold Fast Coffee, 2360 Montebello Sq., 80918, and making her own homemade cinnamon rolls, scones, and cookies to compliment the comforting beverages.
In the three years of Allie’s weekly 5-minute bike ride to the clubhouse (with her charming 6-year-old son and “business partner” Charlie), she has indeed enriched the Spring Creek neighborhood. She now welcomes a cadre of “regulars” who come every week to chat with neighbors, to do some work in the sunlight streaming through the 360° windows, and to count on Allie’s warm smile and sincere interest in their lives. In fact, she has gathered many meaningful stories that prove the efficacy of her intentions to serve others and to build a deep sense of belonging for her customers. As a result of her work, Allie tells of neighbors connecting with neighbors to help with pet sitting and safety issues. She told of one woman who regularly stopped by after taking her kids to school while her husband was deployed. This weekly neighborhood support system helped this young mother through a most challenging time. Another couple, who winters in the neighborhood from their home in Alaska, comes by every week for their regular brew that Allie starts preparing as soon as she sees them coming. And she always makes sure to have their favorite fresh chocolate chip cookies for them.
In my nearly 2-hour visit, I watched Allie interact with numerous customers while showing genuine interest in hearing about their lives. Likewise, I couldn’t help but enjoy the friendly chatter of neighbors at surrounding tables and the soothing folk music in the background. I even met five new neighbors myself, coming from all directions, some by car and most on foot or by bike. With a very active trick-or-treating night to look forward to, many of us shared our candy supply numbers and encouraged young Charlie to be sure to come by our houses for lots of treats and Halloween fun.
Without a doubt, Allie is fulfilling several of her dreams, which in turn is bringing a deeper sense of community and connection to this neighborhood. When driving on Monterey between Circle Dr. and Union Blvd. on a Friday morning, be sure to drop by to see Allie and Charlie at the clubhouse and plan on leaving with a sense of care and belonging to take back to your own neighborhood, along with some delicious food and drink.
