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Writer's pictureJamin P. Butler

A Cup of Coffee…with Ayron, Black Coffee’s Director of Design and Development

by Leslie Rose (CreActiv)

 

A Cup of Coffee is a new series inviting you to get to know our team, partners, and friends. 

 


In November 2020, amid a pandemic, with a teenager and baby in tow, Ayron joined her

husband, Jamin, in a cross-country trip in pursuit of what would become Black Coffee

Atlanta.

A smiling woman confidently walking through a garden
Ayron Butler, Founder & CEO, "Bella Dawn Planning," a full service special events & weddings planning boutique, based in Los Angeles, CA.

A seasoned event planner, Ayron already understood how to make a vision come to life,

but she admittedly had never conceptualized the opening of an entire business location,

especially in a new city thousands of miles away from her native Los Angeles.

  

By June 2021, joined by business partners and friends, Black Coffee Atlanta began

welcoming customers to its brick-and-mortar location. And Ayron played a significant

role in what the shop looks and feels like today. 

Grab a cup of coffee and read about Ayron’s original and continued vision for Black

Coffee Atlanta. 


Making a Change 

I knew that our family needed a change. And if Black Coffee was that catalyst for the

change, I was willing to dive into it.


Ayron sitting in an under construction coffee shop, overseeing plans.
Ayron supervised the buildout and interior design of Black Coffee Atlanta, working with architects, contractors, and personnel.

Just Like Home 

I wanted [Black Coffee Atlanta] to feel like home. My mother was diagnosed with

dementia just a couple of months before we travelled here. She was an amazing cook.

She always dreamed of having a breakfast kitchen and wanted a homey feel. So I

wanted to bring that here. I wanted to have that piece of her. Being in Atlanta gave us

the recipe and the tools to make it feel like home because it's Black and rich, and

wherever you go, it's home. 


We Feel Your Energy 

We wanted people to feel like when they walked in here, it was like a Black “Cheers,”

where everybody knows your name. We remember your drink. If you come here two or

three times, we'll see who you are. We're going to know what you need. We'll see if you

need that extra little bit of love. We'll know if you need a comp drink this day because

we can feel when your energy is off. So that's what we created. 

Ladies posing in their "Escapism" sweatshirts
Ayron is the co-founder of "The Escapism Retreat." A full service women's travel agency.

A Touch of Cali and Culture

With our food, we brought in some touches from California. We brought in avocado

toast and threw in arugula – some freshness. We are in a food desert, so we don't have

many good food options, so we wanted to get something fresh and some alternatives to what this community had and rightly deserves. And the menu, we wanted it to be

representative of our culture. And so that's representative in the names. We add a little

extra sweetness cause Black folks love sugar.



Purpose

In Los Angeles, it felt like we were striving to find purpose. Here it builds. Everything we

do is with intention and purpose. Sitting in here every day, it's like purpose realized.

 

Ayron lead the buildout and design of the space. She also

curates the menu and to manaages events, staff schedules, and training.


"CreActiv PR & Storytelling is a boutique communications firm founded by journalist and comms strategist Leslie D. Rose. The firm specializes in writing, consulting, storytelling, and creative activism initiatives/education tools. Leslie shares consultancy responsibilities with multi-genre writer, strategist, and organizer Donney Rose."




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