Now, they are about to see an extension of this vision with Prism Coffee Lab, a wholesale roasting company, and the reinvention of Empower Coffee Roasters as a cafe and event space in Mesa.
Founded by husband-and-wife owners Zach Gamza and Denise Napolitano in 2020, Empower previously operated strictly as a business-to-business operation that supplied coffee shops and vendors with roasted beans.
Prism and the new version of Empower, which are adjacent to each other, are scheduled for a soft opening in May with a grand opening in June. With the new cafe and event space, the goal is to recreate the welcoming community hub that Brick Road has become since opening in 2021, Hagen says.
“Coffee spaces are very easily accessible to all lives so they are natural community builders,” Hagen says.
The new space spans 2,400 square feet. Prism will occupy about 550 square feet and feature a window to allow customers to peek inside and watch the beans getting roasted and bagged. Empower will take up the rest of the space with a lobby that houses a cafe and adjacent event space.
The home of the two new concepts is exponentially larger than Brick Road, which has the capacity for only 40 people. Hagen and Shank say they had to turn down event requests at Brick Road because of its small size.
The new space, which can hold 75, will host educational events, a monthly book club and other functions with local LGBTQ+ organizations. It will also host political awareness events supporting gathering petition signatures, volunteer training and canvassing.
Since opening in Tempe in 2021, Brick Road Coffee has become a welcoming, inclusive spot for the LGBTQ+ community.
Brick Road Coffee
Joining forces
When Gamza and Napolitano opened the original Empower, they did so with a mission to support women by donating a portion of their sales to nonprofits. They also import beans from women-owned farms in South America and Ethiopia. The collaboration with Hagen and Shank began when Empower provided beans for Brick Road. The Brick Road owners wanted to venture into roasting while Gamza and Napolitano were exploring opening a coffee shop. In 2024, the couples combined forces and Hagen and Shank bought a majority interest in Empower. The result is a partnership culminating in Prism and a revamped and expanded Empower Coffee Roasters.
Empower closed its doors in January for remodeling. It continues to roast for six clients and will take on more after the renovation is complete. Hagen and Shank took over the adjacent suites to house the new venues.
“It made sense for us to create a space that could be intentional,” Hagen says. “We knew what the community was wanting here and it was our first opportunity to build something from the ground up.”
The cafe will share similarities with its sister coffee shop in Tempe. Every seat will have its own outlet to encourage guests to linger. A lending library, which has 190 books, will also be added in Mesa. A new feature will be a giant community table and window bar.
These help spark conversations and encourage customers to connect with those two tables over. Hagen hopes to create "a ‘Cheers’ vibe where everybody knows your name.”
Empower will offer Brick Road's popular beverage lineup of energy drinks, teas and coffee classics. Regulars will see familiar signature drinks like the cinnamon roll latte, blackberry latte and iced spiced brown sugar shaken espresso, all made with syrups crafted in-house.
Croissants and pastries from Buttered Up Bakery will be available and an expanded morning food menu is part of the plan. Teas and a selection of vegan and gluten-free pastries from Drink Me Tea and Treats will make for additional tempting options.
Brick Road Coffee's lending library features 190 books and is fueled entirely by customers' interest and donations.
Courtesy of Brick Road Coffee
No bouncer required
Hagen’s background is in finance, but inspired by a lack of non-bar spaces for the LGBTQ+ community, he traded spreadsheets for coffee.“I wanted to create something that didn’t have a bouncer,” Hagen says with a chuckle.
Hagen googled “coffee shops for sale in Phoenix” and found one off Rural Road and U.S. Route 60, right behind his and Shank’s Tempe home.
“That’s the universe saying, ‘You can’t be lazy,’” Hagen says. “I got lucky.”
Brick Road was born in 2021, as the world was just emerging from the pandemic and a year after Hagen and Shank, who have been together since 2007, were married.
“We wanted a place to have meetups for the queer and trans communities, which had been overlooked and not given many options as far as places where they felt safe,” Hagen says.
With the support from his fellow coffee entrepreneurs and customers, Hagen looks forward to continuing “the wild ride” with Prism and Empower.
“We’ve been feeling the love and embrace of the community and I’m so excited to continue that impact and be marveled by what Arizonans can do to change the world,” Hagen says. “And all they needed was a little caffeine and a space to do it, and I’m grateful to be able to help them in their journey.”
Prism Coffee Lab and Empower Coffee Roasters
Opening in May1337 S. Gilbert Road, Mesa
