RICHMOND, Va. — A Richmond coffee shop is taking what some may consider a bold step to help create more personal connections by eliminating public WiFi on weekends.
Starting Jan. 17, Afterglow Coffee Cooperative will no longer provide WiFi access to customers on Saturdays and Sundays as part of what they're calling "screen-light days," according to a post on social media.
The employee-owned cooperative, located at 1719 Summit Avenue in Richmond's Scott Addition neighborhood, said the decision stems from their commitment to creating a communal atmosphere.
"Over time, we've noticed that heavy device use can draw the cafe's energy away from that intention," the coffee shop posted on social media. "We are working towards building a library of offerings to pass time together with the company of your choosing to encourage conversation and a more relaxed rhythm."
Afterglow said they hope to create an environment where customers can slow down and be present with one another.
Following its first "screen-light " weekend, Afterglow co-owner Aimee Maki responded to questions about the decision and experience.
CBS 6: For how long have you been discussing making this WiFi change? Were there specific things that happened inside the shop that made the change something you wanted to try in 2026?
Aimee Maki: We had been discussing this idea for about a year on and off. We have weekly meetings where we brainstorm “big picture” things like this, but the no WiFi idea kept resurfacing as a discussion point. We continued to get busier in the cafe and saw that our biggest groups and newest customers were coming on the weekends. They would have to be forced to get their drinks and food to-go because of so many solo laptop users at tables. We figured the best time to launch this campaign would be in the new year, so we have been creating signage, writing and producing our zine, and crafting the social media post for the last few months in order to be intentional about our messaging and mindful to focus on the positive aspects of this change.
CBS 6: What kind of feedback, both positive and concern, have customers shared about removing WiFi on weekends?
Aimee Maki: The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, both in the cafe and online. We put signs up in the cafe several weeks before launch and even before posting on social media because we wanted to give this idea time to settle with our customers and weekend regulars.
The majority of people are saying things like, “this is really cool”, “I love this”, “great move.” Some people are asking why, and this allows us to have a conversation about the importance of the space and how we want to refocus on human connection over the weekend.
Weekdays are still all yours to come and do work but we hope this will adjust people’s mindset to making a coffee shop your office. We cannot express how much we appreciate the support and patronage but we cannot be your home office.
We want to remind people to frequent our amazing local libraries if you need to work for more than 2 hours.
CBS 6: How will staff handle situations where customers request WiFi access or need it for urgent reasons?
Aimee Maki: If a customer requests access on the weekends we will simply explain the new policy and either have a conversation or encourage them to read more about it in our zine that we have dispersed for free around the cafe. If WiFi is needed for an emergency, our team can help. There are still secure networks in the building which can be used by our worker/owners at any time to help assist customers if necessary.
CBS 6: The “library of offerings” mentioned on social media sounds interesting. What is being planned, and will these include events, games, or reading materials?
Aimee Maki: Yes, exactly! Things like cards and other small games, some reading materials (we’ve had that for a few years) and art journals- notebooks/sketchbooks people can draw, write or color in that stays at Afterglow for anyone to add their art to.
CBS 6: As an employee-owned cooperative, how was this policy decided, and was it unanimous among staff?
Aimee Maki: Everything we do is consensus based. Some smaller decisions we might try out and later realize doesn’t work for what we want it to, we will then adjust or remove it all together. Big policy changes like this one are still consensus based but since we all understood the gravity of this decision, it took us the whole year to fully commit to implementing it.
We’ve all been in the coffee and hospitality industry for a very long time and have seen other companies try to make big changes like this but it falls flat. I think that can be due to the way in which these changes are presented. Change is hard for anyone but our goal is to bring our community together, not “other” them. How we speak about these changes is a huge responsibility - one we do not take lightly.
CBS 6: What observations will Afterglow use to decide if the “screen-light days” experiment is successful over time?
Aimee Maki: We are committing to “No WiFi Weekends” for this year. We will observe and discuss regularly within the company, we will listen to our customers and take feedback. We will do our best and we will continue to give great service while producing great coffee.
CBS 6: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Aimee Maki: The idea of removing WiFi for 2 days a week should not be groundbreaking. As a society, we are growing tiresome of the technological advances that have been forced upon us - even more so now with the constant and insidious inundating of the use of AI in every system we use.
We do not want it and our nervous systems need a break!
There is a bigger movement happening online where a lot of people are talking about going analogue in 2026. People want to enjoy physical media again. They want to be present when they are away from work. They want to enjoy their wild and precious life and if Afterglow can be a small part of that, we are honored.
Going to the coffee shop with a friend, your book or sketch pad, and sipping your drink out of a mug is our way of allowing folks to do just that.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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