Academy Coffee is closing its Old Fourth Ward doors for good on Sunday, September 13, Owner Connan Moody announced Tuesday on the company’s Instagram page. “Oh how our colors have faded,” Moody wrote alongside the above photograph of an Academy Coffee banner that hangs outside of its Irwin Street Market home. “We have had a wonderful and long two years in the space … and sadly we will be closing our doors Sunday, Sept. 13.”
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But Academy Coffee isn’t “done yet,” Moody writes. The coffee shop is opening a new location in Virginia-Highland later this year as part of the planned Kinship cafe and marketplace, at 1019 Virginia Ave NE.
The plan to join Kinship is a family affair. Connan Moody’s brother Myles is a co-owner in Kinship. Both concepts join a quaint strip that houses Paolo’s Gelato (which is for sale) and the soon-to-open Pizza by the Slice. The space butts up to YEAH! Burger which is also on the market.
“We were given a brilliant opportunity at The Irwin Street Market to start our business,” Moody told What Now Atlanta Wednesday in an email. “We bootstrapped and elbow greased our way into the Atlanta Coffee Scene. Through help from friends and neighbors, we were able to build a space and a culture that went way beyond what we ever imagined of it. When looking to the future we want to keep the same culture alive while giving more and more to our customers.”
In the new space, Academy Coffee will continue to source its coffees from roasters all over the world. There will be an expanded menu of offerings including pour-overs. “Working in a space with Myles and Rachel will also give us a new resource for creativity as they are both wonderful chefs in their own right,” Moody said.
Out of the Kinship space, Academy Coffee will also host its GYST Coffee Training educational program, spearheaded by Moody and Jacob King. It is a free, “high-level barista training” program for “coffee people in and around Atlanta.” GYST started early this year, slightly before COVID-19 hit.
3 Responses
VaHi is back, baby!
This corner is restoring to its former glory, so excited to support these new businesses!
The exterior design of this shop looks great! Best of luck to them!