
5

"Slated to open on Mitchell Street in downtown Atlanta by early 2023, this fourth-location coffee shop emphasizes history and intimacy by preserving a space that remains largely as it was a century ago. Owner Dale Donchey—who has tested the site with pop-ups including a Super Bowl 2019 activation and a summer pop-up that also featured his Dear Friend, Bagels—wants to keep the building’s original character: white, teal, and maroon penny tiles forming geometric and floral patterns; tin ceiling tiles with exposed slatted wood; molded-metal walls accented with fleur-de-lis and vine designs; and a front-door plaque reading “Imperial Cafe,” a detail that points to the site’s possible past as a cafe for a nearby fruit-and-vegetable company. Donchey plans a Roaring-20s-ish renovation that touches as little as possible while layering in his signature vintage-baseball–inspired, modernized coffee aesthetic; he describes the location as his “home hitter,” a deliberate, small expansion intended to balance growth with hands-on stewardship and neighborhood preservation." - Sarra Sedghi