Story and photos by Jennifer Kornegay
With its exposed brick walls, rough-hewn beams overhead and sleek, bare-bulb light fixtures, The Stable, A Southern Coffee Pub, has all the visual hallmarks of a trendy café.
A sandwich board out front lists its tasty offerings and industrial-looking awnings throw shade over bright red metal café tables on the sidewalk. It often hosts live music shows, some advertised on funky, artsy band posters. This restaurant would be right at home in a metro area like Birmingham or Mobile. But instead, it’s deep in the heart of Alabama’s rural Black Belt region, downtown in tiny Greensboro, population approximately 2,150.
An affection for coffee fueled owner Monique “Mo” Kitchen’s desire to open the spot in 2017, and it was more than the hot, dark energy-inducing drink that she wanted to offer. “I love the relaxed vibe of coffee shops,” she says. “I’ve always enjoyed spending time in them wherever I’ve lived or traveled.”
The former vet tech moved to Greensboro from Birmingham two decades ago, and not long after arriving, started thinking about a space she wished the city had. She felt Greensboro needed some high-quality coffee, but also a hip and homey space to hang out in. If she built it, she thought, they would come.
She was right. If you pop in The Stable around lunchtime on a weekday, you’ll likely find it packed with a diverse range of diners. A father reclining on a leather sofa in a cozy sitting area sips a cappuccino while watching his toddler son flip through a board book. At a corner table, two female friends are laughing over a shared slice of peanut butter cream pie. A large group of older folks dig into the day’s special, a loaded baked potato overflowing with smoky pulled pork.
When it first opened, Kitchen had two partners, and they convinced her to add food to the coffee selections. Despite her name, she doesn’t really enjoy cooking. “But I do it, and we do it all. We make almost everything from scratch here,” she says. “I have a friend who does the pork butts for me, and I get whole-grain sourdough bread from Abadir’s, a local bakery. Customers love that stuff, and I hope to get more from her in the future.”
The menu is vast, with wraps and sandwiches, salads and pizzas, plus breakfast selections (served all day on Saturdays). The Little Big Town sammy is a big hit, loaded with turkey, cheddar, avocado spread and a tangy chipotle sauce. Any time is a good time to order the Harvest Time salad, a mound of crisp field greens with sliced turkey, feta, tart dried cranberries, crunchy apple chunks and chopped walnuts drizzled with bright lemon vinaigrette. The chicken salad is basic but a beloved best seller. “It’s simple: chicken baked in a convection oven to keep it moist and tender, then shredded and mixed with salt and pepper, a little mayo, some celery and sliced grapes,” Kitchen says. Her usual pick is The Stable Sampler, a scoop each of chicken salad, pimento cheese and cream cheese topped with spicy-sweet pepper jelly with crackers for shoveling it all into your mouth.
And if you save room for dessert, you’re in for a treat. Greensboro’s once-famous but now-defunct Pie Lab isn’t completely gone. The last owner sold the recipes to a local man who now operates Greensboro Pie, and his delights — from chocolate chess and Key Lime to pecan and brown-sugar buttermilk — are available at The Stable.
And what’s a piece of pie without a hot cup of coffee? And not just any ole coffee. Since the original idea for The Stable revolved around the drink, Kitchen sources the good stuff: Revival Coffee, roasted in small batches in Selma. “It’s what we serve, and we sell it by the bag too,” she says. Rich and strong, it doesn’t just taste good; it’s a mission-based business that does good too, donating a portion of proceeds to causes like stopping human trafficking. “I think that’s really cool, and I’m proud to play some small part by supporting them.”
When the lunch crowd dies down, others meander in mainly for a cup of joe – the toasted marshmallow latte is a local favorite. They snag one of the stools at the long, slim tables up against the front windows to watch life on Main Street go by. Such life is admittedly far less busy and far more leisurely than a larger city, but that’s something else Kitchen hopes to change.
“Even though I’m not a native, I love this town,” she says. “We have a few new restaurants here, like really great Thai food right next door, but I would love to see more spots open up on this street.”
She’s also working to restore the historic 1884 building housing The Stable. In addition to a general store, its past lives include time as an auction house, which dovetails nicely with some fundraising plans. “I’m hoping to do a silent auction of some local artists’ works to raise money for some of the needed repairs and restoration work,” she says. “I want to make sure the place stays comfortable and looking good. It’s a place for everybody.”
Creating a gathering space for the Greensboro community was always part of Kitchen’s plan, and The Stable’s many regulars are rewarding her efforts. “That’s why I still do this and will keep doing it even when it sometimes gets overwhelming,” she says. “People come in here and sit and talk and eat, and I can see that they’re happy here. That’s just cool.”
The Stable
1120 Main Street, Greensboro, AL
334-218-2109
thestablecoffeepub.com
Hours: Monday – Saturday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m.; Closed Sundays
Watch The Stable’s Facebook and Instagram pages for announcements of special events/hours.
