BALTIMORE, Md. — They haven’t brewed any coffee yet, but when Dovecote Café reopens on Juneteenth, it can’t help but come with a course in history.
“Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of recently freed black families were living right on this street and this very land that we stand on,” said Cole, who simply goes by a single name and co-owns the business.
When the pandemic hit, the owners, who were vacationing in South Africa became stranded and the café closed.
Efforts from abroad turned to helping to feed neighbors back in Baltimore, but plans to reopen remained on hold.
On what will be their fifth annual Juneteenth celebration, the owners hope the national holiday designation will lead to greater discussions of equity in this country.
“The back and forth in terms of the black community is a both/and, but we also know this country and we know that it usually stops with a symbol,” said Co-Owner Aisha Pew.
Whatever the future holds, it will be a subject of conversation in this street-side café, which serves up far more than a cup of joe.
“We feel honored to be included with so many incredible young and emerging black folks here in Baltimore,” said Cole, “We feel like this space is very intergenerational, and that’s one of the things we also love about it so, yes, the heart that lives in this café and spills out on the streets is far more than a cup of coffee.”
The Dovecote Café will be open Tuesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
