Milwaukee native Adella Deacon wants to turn the former Blood Bank building in the Amani neighborhood into a space where residents can gather and build community.
“I want this to be a community hotspot,” said Deacon, principal at ZDH Holdings, which owns the building.
That’s the concept behind Eban.
The 10,000-square-foot, three-story building, at 2126 W Fond du Lac Ave., aims to be a community hub offering a variety of services. The building, still under renovation, will have space for seven salon suites, a 3,200-square-foot childcare center, a community meeting space, a cafe and professional office spaces.
First to open is BLK Coffee, a café serving coffee and pastries.
“What we are trying to do is build space in our community for entrepreneurs, for people to sit down and meet and have a coffee,” Deacon said.
The area lacks a coffee shop, a place where people can work remotely or even for seniors to gather. Deacon wanted an inviting space where people can meet, host book clubs or play chess.
“I think that will help build ownership in the community,” she said.
BLK Coffee will have a soft opening May 15th from 6 a.m. – 11 a.m.
The coffee shop, which will serve Valentine coffee, will be open Wednesdays through Saturdays initially. It has an area for outdoor seating. Deacon hopes to expand the cafe’s hours and eventually serve lunch. Entrees, she said, will be based on community feedback.
“We are looking for healthier options. We don’t want to serve things you can readily get around here, like foods high in fat,” Deacon said, noting the menu will have gluten-free options.
The coffee shop will have its grand opening this summer.
It wasn’t Deacon’s intention to buy such a large commercial building. She wanted a mixed-use residential building with ground-level commercial space for her law office. She actually didn’t know what to do with the building, but knew it had potential. It was her brother who planted the idea of opening a coffee shop.
“Totally not what I was looking for,” she quipped.
Deacon invested $1.1 million to renovate the building, including upgrading the electrical. She received funding from Northwestside CDC but still needs capital to finish the day care.
The establishment’s name reflects Deacon’s intentions behind the project. The word Eban is a West African Adinkra symbol which means love, safety and building from within.
That is what Deacon is trying to do – build up her own community. She grew up in the Avenues West neighborhood but visited this area often. She spent a lot of time as a teen shopping and hanging out at Milwaukee Mall. Her parents frequented the Fondy Farmers Market.
The area, she said, needs development and more resources. Fond du Lac Avenue has seen sporadic development with restaurants like 1700 Pull Up and Favorites Restaurant and Lounge. Deacon wants to build on that momentum.
Residents, she said, often must leave the neighborhood to get services, whether it is quality childcare, nails, hair or even a cup of coffee. The building’s size allowed Deacon to bring those much-needed services under one roof and to give people a venue to start a business.
“People in this community are creative with hair, beauty and nails. Let’s get that here and have it here for the community,” she said.
And as a mom of a 6-year-old, Deacon knows the challenge of finding quality childcare, especially for working moms, which many stylists are. The childcare space will include an indoor play area as well as an outdoor playlot.
Deacon, an attorney and real estate agent, also plans to host estate planning and first-time homebuyers’ classes at Eban.
“We think all these different businesses work well together. It is kind of a symbiotic relationship,” she said.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: BLK Coffee brings first neighborhood café to Milwaukee’s Amani community
Reporting by La Risa R. Lynch, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
