Atlanta Cafe Employs Careful & Purposeful Design To Support And Empower Interabled Community – CoffeeTalk

Mend Coffee & Goods is an upscale Buckhead coffee shop that aims to support the interabled community by providing respite, hope, and healing. The cafe, which has about half of its staff being disabled, is one of the most accessible in Atlanta. The 2,400-square-foot space features soft blue, gray, and sage green walls, a marble bar top, oak floors, and brass fixtures. The menu is traditional, featuring Bellwood Coffee, Golda Kombucha, pastries from Alon’s Bakery & Market, and breakfast and lunch items made in-house.

The cafe’s carefully crafted details, such as automated doors, tables that swivel up and down to meet wheelchair users’ height requirements, an extra-large restroom with an adult changing table, and a private room that doubles as a sensory-sensitive space, make the cafe a welcoming space for both staff and customers. Founders Jay and Katherine Wolf, who are raising two sons, created Hope Heals, a nonprofit that supports the interabled community and reframes the experience of being disabled. They host four free one-week camp sessions each summer and a weekend retreat in the fall, inviting families to connect and recharge with bonding activities and faith-based sessions.

Mend Coffee & Goods also features a retail section with ethically sourced items designed to make people feel good, such as honey lavender sweets from Wildflower Caramels, Mo&Co Home candles, tumblers, greeting cards, bath bombs, and the best-selling “Hope” sweatshirt. Selling these products and renting out Mend for private events helps support the Hope Heals mission.

Jay and Katherine Wolf believe in adding value to the interabled community by creating a different kind of story that showcases beauty and beauty in the world.

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