After moving to Maplewood Mall in 2023, launching as a gallery and herbal shop, community curator blew kind’s hopes for a cafe are finally a reality. kind welcomed the second phase of d’griot this past Saturday, Jan. 3.
“I wanted to create something profitable for my family and that fosters the community that’s already here,” said kind.
The opening was attended by community members, Black and Brown local artists, and business owners like Zipped and Printed and MGodi Beauty. There was also a drum performance outside the shop done by Positive Movement.
“I know my audience,” said kind. “People think that because we live in a city, that everything is unhealthy, but the community is actually always looking for an option like this.”
51-53 Maplewood Mall, where d’griot sits, was formerly occupied by the Maplewood Nutrition and Dietary shop for 58 years. Because of the shop’s high reputation, she knew she had big shoes to fill.
“I would do events and people would constantly ask for the teas I brewed from my herbs, so I decided it was time,” said kind
Though kind has been in the cafe business for a little less than 20 years, she has been exploring other ways of living since she lost her mother to cancer as a teen. d’griot cafe will be her third start-up.
kind claims that she had to redo the lighting and plumbing, and other structural renovations in order to get the cafe to where it is today.
When she opened the gallery, kind says she was grieving the loss of her last shop, Franny Lou’s Porch, so she didn’t feel like it was fully ready. But the cafe is different.
“When I was a young artist, I was taking things as they came, and so the gallery kind of went with that, but now I want people to feel the elegance when they come in,” said kind. “This is an inspirational afro-luxury funky space that helps people fly.”
The cafe is named after West African oral historians of the same name, “griot,” and the “d” is common slang. Not just wanting it to be a space for bonding over herbs, tea, and art, kind really wants to uplift her triple-threat storefront as somewhere for stories.
She also explained how important it was for her to open this space in the winter.
“People are dealing with seasonal depression, and I wanted this place to bring light to the dark,” said kind.
In addition to herbal teas, the shop has coffee, specialty items like matcha and matcha lemonade, and freshly baked biscuits. kind is also proud to say that there is no refined sugar used in her menu items, instead favoring maple, agave, and coconut sugar.
In the near future, kind is hoping to add gluten-free and vegan sandwiches made with the biscuits to her menu.
“If bringing people together is my thing,” said kind. “What better way to bring people together than with food?”
She also offers a guide on what kinds of herbs and teas people can come in and get when they’re dealing with anxiety, high blood pressure, and a myriad of other health issues.
“I’ve always wanted to feed people when they host events here, and I’m looking forward to finally being able to do that,” said kind.
kind has already begun activating the space with her own offerings like Be Well 101, where she helps people “demystify” herbs and Third Thursday jam sessions.
Stay updated with d’griot on Instagram at @dgriot.philly. The full-service holistic shop operates from Tuesday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. til 4 p.m.
Deesarine Ballayan is a Liberian-American freelance journalist from and based in Philadelphia. Her work is featured in The Philly Download, the Logan Center, CSIS, The Philadelphia Citizen, and Billy Penn @ WHYY.