Coffee industry veteran Dale Donchey has always wanted to open a business in downtown Atlanta, ever since he opened Spiller Park Coffee at Ponce City Market back in 2015. The history behind the old Sears, Roebuck & Co. building on Ponce and the former ballpark that used to reside across the street both have deep ties to the city and to the name and branding for Donchey’s coffee shop. A self-proclaimed history buff and ardent baseball fan, Donchey named the ballpark for Rell J. Spiller; the owner of defunct minor league baseball team the Atlanta Crackers.
History once again comes into the play for Donchey and Spiller Park Coffee with the opening of the fourth location along Hotel Row in South Downtown on April 8. Spiller Park Coffee joins Tyde Tate Thai Kitchen, which opened last summer next door to Donchey’s shop.
Donchey will open Spiller Park in one of the city’s oldest buildings and on one of the oldest commercial strips left in Atlanta. The buildings along this stretch of Mitchell Street have remained relatively untouched for over a century. Much of the original interiors still grace the inside of the shotgun storefront at 233 Mitchell Street, including the geometric pattern of the penny tile floors, molded metal walls, and tin ceiling.
“I love history. I love old buildings,” said Donchey, a native of Richmond, Virginia. “I’m walking around in here looking at the walls, that tin ceiling. I didn’t build that. It all came with the place. There’s a beauty to working with things that are old, which isn’t always the way in Atlanta. We’ll carry on a legacy.”
In South Downtown, Spiller Park will serve a similar coffee and food menu to that of the Moores Mill location in northwest Atlanta. However, Donchey will experiment with different brewing methods in South Downtown, serving coffee not only by size but also by strength.
Look for grab-and-go sandwiches at the South Downtown location like the Grand…
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