What is a shadow box?
A shadow box is a display case. You may see a military veteran with a shadow box containing an American flag and some of their medals from when they served, or you may see someone put a signed jersey from a favorite athlete in a shadow box. And while a wooden box with a pane of glass on one side seems like just a convenient way to hang various items up for display, I think the tradition of them is much more interesting.
Shadow boxes trace their origins to naval history and tradition. Superstition stated that when a sailer retires and leaves his ship for the last time, it is bad luck for his shadow to touch the land before the sailer’s body does. To circumvent vent this bad luck, the sailers crew would construct a box which would display the various mementos and awards the retiring sailer had collected throughout his career. This box would then represent the retiring sailer’s shadow, and would be presented to him after he had gotten off his ship for the last time.
During those times, a sailer would stay on one ship for the entirety of his career. During a sailor’s voyages he would collect all sorts of souvenirs from his travels, and due to the constraints of living on a ship, these items needed to be small. during the construction of one of these shadow boxes, all of these small mementos would be included to symbolize the time that the sailer had spend on the ship.
Why are shadow boxes important?
well, shadow boxes aren’t important per se, but it’s what they symbolize. Looking into someone’s shadow box should give the observer a good idea of what the person has done throughout their career. Not everyone has their own shadow box and those who do don’t tend to carry them around, but everyone does have a story to tell.
At the Shadow Box Coffee House, we believe that love is one of the most important things to be felt and practiced. And learning more about someone is a practical way to love someone. While we do not have a location yet, we encourage you to join us in loving the people around us, by trying to learn more about the people around us.
How does this relate to coffee?
With our mission being one of bringing people together and spreading love and joy, we could think of no better drink than coffee. Coffee is the thread that connects so many people regardless of background. people gather over coffee for first dates, break room chatter, morning salutations. Even if your coffee is enjoyed alone, one can identify themself with countless other people who have started their mornings the same way.
We want to facilitate the meeting and loving of people through coffee. We also believe that coffee is one of the best means to accomplish this goal of ours. In lieu of a physical store front, we invite you to join is in our mission. Buy some coffee and share it with a friend or loved one, or someone you just met. Try to learn something new about them, love them as you would love yourself.
Thank you, and God bless.
Shadow box coffee house 