{Photograph} by Bryan Johnson
From the parking zone, Mend Espresso & Items seems to be like a typical upscale Buckhead espresso store. The patio is bustling, and broad home windows beckon you inside. Come nearer and Bentley-Grace Hicks welcomes you from her wheelchair, whereas Griffin Brown rolls round gathering soiled dishes. He doesn’t have use of his arms attributable to cerebral palsy, so his mom outfitted his motorized chair with cabinets to permit him to move used dishes to the kitchen. About half of the Mend workers is disabled, and the cafe is without doubt one of the most accessible in Atlanta.
The two,400-square-foot area seems to be straight out of a Restoration {Hardware} catalogue, with mushy blue, grey, and sage inexperienced partitions balancing a marble bar prime, oak flooring, and brass fixtures. The menu is conventional, that includes Bellwood Espresso, Golda Kombucha, pastries from Alon’s Bakery & Market, and breakfast and lunch gadgets made in-house (suppose avocado toast, bacon and Swiss quiche, and rooster salad sandwiches). Gentle jazz performs within the background, and the soothing scent of Mend’s signature candle greets your nostril as you enter.
However it’s the rigorously crafted particulars invisible to these outdoors the disabled neighborhood that make the largest influence. All doorways—together with the bogs—are automated. Tables swivel up and down to satisfy the peak necessities of wheelchair customers. The additional-large restroom contains an grownup altering desk. A personal room doubles as a sensory-sensitive area to keep away from overstimulation.
{Photograph} by Becca Cruz
Founders Jay and Katherine Wolf greet every particular person by title—workers and prospects alike. They’re like celebrities right here, a spot they created to convey collectively the interabled neighborhood (which means a bunch of individuals with several types of talents, says Jay) and supply respite, hope, and therapeutic. Katherine skilled an enormous mind stem stroke in April 2008, when she was simply 26 years previous. She underwent 12 surgical procedures, spending 40 days within the ICU and a 12 months and a half in rehab. “I ought to have died,” she says. Although she survived, her life, and the lives of her members of the family, was irrevocably modified, as the suitable aspect of her physique is partially paralyzed, amongst different impairments.
Fairly than give attention to Katherine’s limitations, she and Jay, who’re additionally elevating two sons, now ages 9 and 17, created Hope Heals, a nonprofit that helps the interabled neighborhood and reframes the expertise of being disabled. They host 4 free one-week camp classes every summer season, in addition to a weekend retreat within the fall, inviting households to attach and recharge with bonding actions and faith-based classes.
{Photograph} by Becca Cruz
{Photograph} by Thomas Swofford
“It’s a sacred area, a chance for individuals who could have felt left behind of their communities to be collectively,” Katherine says. She additionally speaks at conferences across the nation and has written three books sharing her story: Undergo Sturdy, Hope Heals and, the newest, Treasures within the Darkish.
All of the whereas, she and Jay function Mend Espresso & Items, which they opened in 2024. It contains a retail part with ethically sourced gadgets designed to make individuals really feel good. There’s honey lavender sweets from Wildflower Caramels, Mo&Co House candles, tumblers, greeting playing cards, bathtub bombs, and the best-selling “Hope” sweatshirt. Promoting these merchandise, in addition to renting out Mend for personal occasions, helps help the Hope Heals mission.
“We take into consideration how we will add worth into this for this vastly underrepresented inhabitants,” Jay says. “How can we create a distinct sort of story that there’s magnificence right here, and be part of showcasing that to the world?”
This text seems in our March 2025 challenge.
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