A project that will remake the long-time Skate Escape and an adjacent building across from Piedmont Park will also include a new coffee shop.
What Now Atlanta on Friday had reported about the development that’s dubbed “12th and Everything,” but new details emerged this week after the project went before Midtown planners.
The plan is to transform Skate Escape into a new restaurant with a rooftop dining terrace. DAS BBQ is expected to open a new location in the space, although a lease is not yet signed, according to 12th & Everything General Manager Danielle Glasky.
The 12th & Everything project will also remake the building adjacent to the current Skate Escape, which has long sat vacant.
In that space, there will be new location of Skate Escape and a new coffee shop. Called PMA Coffee, it’s a concept from Glasky, a veteran of Atlanta’s coffee scene who headed up Spiller Park’s coffee program for 4 years.
PMA stands for “positive mental attitude,” a reference to a punk song from the 1980s, Glasky said.
“I’m really excited to talk about it,” Glasky said in a phone interview Wednesday. “I’ve spent the majority of my career assisting other people open up cafes and promote their businesses. This is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to open up my own concept.”
Glasky had tested the Midtown market through her pop-up coffee truck Tic Tac Coffee, which was parked in front of Skate Escape.
“The pop-up went really well. It’s been such a warm welcome from the neighborhood, from folks who are just so excited to have a locally, independently-owned and operated cafe coming to this area.”
PMA Coffee will offer a coffee menu with beans from Black & White Coffee Roasters in North Carolina, a rotating selection of seasonal beverages, and pastries and baguettes from a local baker.
Glasky said the hope is to start construction on 12th & Everything in January, with the goal of opening around winter of 2023.
Local architecture firm Smallwood is handling the design. Elements of the existing buildings will be restored and preserved as much as possible, according to a news release.
“It feels really fun to be part of not just revitalizing a corner that I’m very familiar with, but to add to the story of Atlanta with this adaptive reuse project,” said Glasky, who has been hanging around Midtown and Skate Escape since her college years. “There’s more you can do in the city beyond tearing down and starting over. This idea that we can take what we have and enhance it is very special to me.”
The development team will also partner with renewable energy company Cherry Street Energy, which will have a small office space on the property and will install solar panels on the restaurant building.
