Since 2011, Relax It’s Just Coffee (Relax) café has been building a community of artists in downtown Mansfield. The coffee shop provides a comfortable space for artists to display their art, play their music, and meet other artists who share their passions.
Cody Nicolas explains that becoming involved with Relax is an incredible opportunity for him to create a space that has it all: music, art and high quality coffee. “It’s a comfy space,” Nicolas stated, “And truly every type of person can be brought together by coffee.” The main demographic Relax attracts is youth, especially young artists who need an outlet.
On their website, Relax makes the designed collision between the art of coffee-making and fine art itself is very clear.
“The art is the heart and soul of what we do. From the artisinal coffees and teas, to the craftsmanship of presentation, to the art on the walls, it is why we are here.”
As part of their events series, the coffee shop showcases local talent ranging acoustic artists, to the flash-creative with show-lighting strung along the wall above their stage for an electronic experience. Nicolas schedules the events through DODIY.org. Musicians from out of town can contact Nicolas, and when they schedule a show for an evening, Nicolas promotes the local bands by inviting them as opening acts.
Nicolas looks at Mansfield from the perspective of the Boston scene, where he became a college trained musician. He notes that Mansfield comes with its own challenges, but also carries unique advantages. “If you want to be an artist, you have to work twice as hard,” Nicolas commented, “But Mansfield is dirt cheap. This spot is ideal. We can save money to sponsor ourselves.” He believes in hard work, and meeting the right people in a small town to accomplish the same things you’d meet elsewhere. “As local bands, we all just find each other. And there’s plenty to go around” he said, for a town like Mansfield. “We can save money, do art, and travel.”
Though Nicolas himself initially moved here because of the cost of living, he found there were “already artists here and we set up the Relax coffee shop as a headquarters.”
