Inside Urban Studio Café on a warm Thursday night, financial literacy was the topic du jour. Four women gathered near the back of the coffee shop to listen to a presentation from Kristin Schell, a credit building manager with Justine Petersen, a nonprofit that helps low- and moderate-income people with financial planning.

Schell, an energetic speaker who regularly gives such talks, took the group through the basics of credit building. She explained what makes up a person’s credit score and urged the women to check their scores often. She covered who can review a credit report, how to access credit and how to build good credit. And she urged the group to pay bills on time, or at least close to it.

Photo by Elia Powers | Beacon staff

Kristin Schell (left) talks with Claire Wolff.

Since November, Schell has given this talk monthly (typically on the first Thursday of the month) to different groups who meet at Urban Studio Café, 2815 N. 14th St. It’s the Old North St. Louis hangout that’s down the street from the historic Crown Candy.

The free sessions are open to anyone but are largely attended by people who live in the surrounding neighborhoods. Since the recession began, financial literacy has become a hot topic for seminars.

Schell covers a lot of ground during the café talks and said she does her best to dispel credit-related myths. “There’s a lot of that out there,” she said. “One is that all you need is to pay off your collections and then your credit will be OK. That’s not what it’s all about.”

Claire Wolff, the assistant director of the café, approached Schell last year about giving a series of financial talks. Among Urban Studio Café’s listed goals are to offer job-skills training and offer the community a place to come together, and these sessions accomplish both, Wolff said.

“So many people have lost their jobs and are looking to pick up employment skills and improve their financial literacy,” she said. “Employers are looking at applicants’ credit scores, so it’s important for people to understand what goes into that.”

Wolff and other Urban Studio Café employees have met individually with Schell about their personal finances in addition to overhearing the conversation at the monthly events.

And as for the coffee shop setting? Schell said it works well for what she’s trying to accomplish.

“You have food and drinks and people feel comfortable,” Schell said. “They can ask open questions that in other environments they might be afraid to ask. And if you don’t want to ask a particular question, it’s likely that someone else will have you covered.”