Today we’d like to introduce you to Kacee Hayes and Melissa Gilstrap.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kacee and Melissa. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Moonbird Coffee started way back before I even had a clue. I spent most of high school and college at a local coffee shop, rather than in class. Somehow I managed to make my way through grad school despite my blatant love of coffee. I graduated at a time when the economy was in the gutter and chose to move to Atlanta without a job. I quickly learned that, despite being an awesome social worker, jobs were nonexistent. I became financially desperate and began applying to jobs from doggy daycares to administrative assistant to barista.
Luckily for me, I was offered a job at a coffee shop. This is where I learned the ins and outs of the business side of things. Managing staffing, inventory, customer and employee satisfaction- it’s no joke! After a few years, I decided I should put my very expensive schooling to work and left coffee. After years in the social work field, I experienced burnout. This leads me back to coffee. I bounced around a couple shops before meeting Mike- the owner of Southbound. Mike and I became fast friends and when it was time for me to move on, I let him know I’d likely go back to social work. Out of what I think was desperation for a good mocha, Mike asked me to meet with him before making any changes. From there the idea of Moonbird formed.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Easy road? Ha, no. There’s so much more that goes into starting a coffee shop than people think! I’m pretty sure I didn’t sleep for a month, my relationship with my partner was strained, and I basically had little to no communication with my friends. On top of that, I was fired from my previous coffee job when the owner found out what I had in the works. Financially everything was a struggle, and personally, I was a disaster. Luckily, my friends still love me, my partner is marrying me tomorrow, and I can deal with having debt.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Moonbird Coffee is a local coffee shop. It has that small, neighborly feel to it. It’s a spot where people can come to work, meet with friends, bring dates, etc. There’s none of that hurry-up-and-order-then-get-out kind of feeling you get when you go to some of the big chains. We have music playing (quietly) during the week and show cartoons on Saturdays for the kids – we know parents need a break!
The menu is relatively small, so you know what we have we do well. We source as many ingredients as we can locally- CoffeeM beans, ZenTea teas, and Twisted Pastry treats. We do use chocolate and syrups from Holy Kakow, which is in Portland. When looking at the quality, there just wasn’t anything comparable locally. Stand out items (to me) are the cardamom lattes, lavender lattes, Mexican mochas, and the Moonbird Coffee blend.
The Moonbird blend is my pride and joy. When starting the shop, I visited my roaster, grabbed every type of bean he roasts, took them home, ground them, and brewed them. My partner and I spent a very hyper day blending, tasting, tasting some more until we came up with a perfect combination. It’s a blend of a dark roast Sumatran and a medium roast fair trade organic Nicaraguan. No, I won’t give you the exact details, but I’ll gladly pour you a cup!
What were you like growing up?
Growing up- I was weird! I’m a middle child, so I fit that archetype. I’m quiet, shy, introverted, and caring. My interests changed daily depending on what movie I watched. Karate Kid made me believe I’d be a ninja, The Mighty Ducks convinced me I’d be a hockey player (no, I never played hockey). I was always creative, so I thought I might do something in the arts. I guess that kind of carried over into making lattes.
Pricing:
- Moonbird Drip Coffee 2.25/2.50
- Café Latte 3.25/4
- Chai Tea Latte 3.75/4.50
- Matcha Latte 4.50/5
- Mexican Mocha 4/4.75
- Nitro Brew Iced Coffee 5
- Cold Brew 3/3.50
Contact Info:
- Address: 5394 Peachtree Road
Chamblee, GA
30341 - Website: https://www.moonbirdcoffee.com
- Phone: 678-332-7280
- Email: moonbirdcoffee@gmail.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/moonbirdcoffee
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoonbirdCo/
- Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/moonbird-coffee-atlanta
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
