Donkey Coffee

There are countless places to get coffee in Athens, but Donkey Coffee is one that feels like it could only exist in this town. From the outside, Donkey seems out of place next to the police station and modern apartments near it. Even though there are relatively new buildings surrounding it, Donkey's appearance suggests that it hasn't changed in years.

The inside of the building is full of quirks that make it different from other coffee shops in the area. The majority of the furniture are couches and chairs that look like they were brought from someone's living room. Some of the drinks are even served in glasses, which made the store feel even more like visiting someone's home. The most interesting thing I saw was a wall of paintings. They were all renditions of Athens houses and yards that were oddly familiar, possibly locations that someone would pass if they made a trip to Athens. These paintings seemed like they were donated, not purchased to create a false ambiance. Some people stopped by the store just to talk with the employees for a while. Not to talk business, just to have a friendly chat between neighbors.

One reason why Donkey seems to be a uniquely "Athens" place to visit is the way it promotes local talent. There is a billboard plastered with posters promoting upcoming performances from local poets and bands. The music played in the store seemed equally split between mainstream artists and smaller bands that people who never visited Athens would never hear.

Donkey Coffee is one of the places I've seen that shows what Athens is: a close-knit community of people who want their neighbors to succeed. They promote their friends and neighbors by giving them a place to share their art, and the feel of the place is more akin to a neighbor's house than a shop. It's a placethat contains everything that Athens is about.

--Travis