The owner of Little Five Points mainstay Junkman’s Daughter is planning a new coffee and gift shop in Virginia-Highland.
A permit was filed in Atlanta to bring Ash Coffee Shop to 1189 Virginia Ave., a former Blabla Kids store.
The concept is from Moss Mills, the owner of Junkman’s Daughter, and his girlfriend, Ashley Saunders, who has a background in the coffee industry.
Mills said in a phone call Monday that Ash Coffee will offer classic coffee drinks, as well as Vietnamese egg coffee. The plan is to offer a wide selection of desserts and operate into the evening and late night hours, he said.
“Our research shows a markedly underserved market share for specialty coffee and a meaningful selection of desserts for these hours and an alternative place to get together beyond bars,” says a presentation deck that Mills shared with What Now Atlanta.
The front of the shop will offer a variety of gifts, such as cards, journals, framed art, live plants and planters, books, kitchen wares, mugs, and home decor. Mills said it will have a Junkman’s Daughter vibe that reflects the changes he’s made to the store since taking over as owner in 2016.
“I’m excited,” Mills said. “I like creating something new.”
The hope is to open at the beginning of 2023.
The couple could try to expand Ash Coffee to other locations. “We believe this concept is easily scalable to multiple locations in many markets and intend to pursue expansion in the Atlanta area,” says the presentation Mills shared.
Mills has an extensive retail background, having lived in Los Angeles for 20 years where he said he operated a few stores. He also had a wholesale line for more than a dozen years, offering jewelry, leather bags, belts and clothing.
He came back to Atlanta to operate Junkman’s Daughter in 2016 after his mother, Pam Majors, passed away. Majors really was the daughter of a junkman, says the store’s website. She launched Junkman’s Daughter with a small storefront in 1982.
“She filled it with tchotchkes and dead stock from her parents 40-year accumulation of stuff, and began adding her own take on weird and wonderful,” says the website. “Her eye for the bizarre but beautiful drew everyone from neighborhood folk, artists, musicians and trendsetters who were obviously followed many celebrities.”
