Hidden Gems: Meet Abbey Chiavario of Matryoshka Coffee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Abbey Chiavario.

Abbey, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
When I opened Matryoshka, I had never really officially worked a barista shift a day in my life. Back in 2015, my husband Jake and I started a specialty coffee technician business called Technico. Technico quickly became Jake’s business, and aside from the job here or there or the odd networking event, I removed myself from that. I loved coffee, but that side of things just wasn’t for me.

I love coffee people — the customers, the baristas, the shop owners — and I dreamt of joining them in some capacity one day but never pursued anything seriously. Right before the pandemic, Technico closed on a 960-square-foot unit in a warehouse space on the south side. During one of our final negotiations, the builder of the complex mentioned that the residents would love a coffee shop on the premises.

This is when Matryoshka started to form. I wanted to create an art-centric space that could be unapologetic. I wanted to serve delicious coffee but make it silly or not-so-serious. So often, specialty coffee is unapproachable to the everyday person and I wanted to reach the people who maybe have not tried anything other than commodity coffees.

In the summer of 2021, I quit my job of 8 years as a nanny and personal family assistant to build Matryoshka myself. I did everything with the help of a few local Nashville women. Together we tackled tiling, the bar builds, the countertops, built the tables, built cabinets, built the retail display, tufted some custom rugs to adorn the walls, poured some epoxy resin trays for serving, and hand-painted Matryoshka’s big mural. The only thing I didn’t get my hands on was our front door signage, which was hand-painted by Louisville sign painter Shelby Rodeffer of Finer Signs. All-in-all, the build took about 3 months and Matryoshka officially opened in December 2021.

Since then, we’ve continued to grow steadily. I thought I could manage this shop alone when I first opened, and instead I have three employees — one of which is near full-time. Nashville has welcomed us with such wide-open arms that some days we think we couldn’t feel more loved and then we have a line out the door full of incredible, smiling people. We’re blown away by the kindness of strangers and strangers-turned-friends that walk through our doors.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been fairly smooth. When we purchased the unit, we had to build out the entire thing from scratch amidst a burgeoning global pandemic. Supply chain issues, coupled with financial worries, we didn’t start building until January of 2021, nearly a year after we initially purchased the unit. We finished the big things like plumbing, electrical, and building the walls in the middle of 2021.

As for running the actual shop, it’s been chaotic but smooth overall. The coffee community in Nashville is one that I’ve found to be hugely supportive. So, so many people stepped in to help me get better at being a barista when I had no experience. H0urs and hours were spent steaming milk and pulling shots until I got the hang of it all and felt like the product I was producing were the best I could do. And when the cafe became busier than I could manage on my own, so many people offered their free time to work shifts with me before I hired a regularly-scheduled staff.

One small bump in the road has been our size and our popularity. We’re what’s called a micro-cafe: A small, condensed version of a standard cafe. Micro cafes are becoming more popular, and overall we love them, but they’re not without their troubles. As we grow busier and busier, our shop space stays the same size.

We’re able to efficiently crank out drinks on our busiest days but sometimes that means there are lots of people sitting at the tables, waiting in line, and hanging out. It can feel chaotic sometimes, but overall the people who come in here are incredibly kind and compassionate people who are excited to experience Matryoshka for what it is; tiny footprint and all.

As you know, we’re big fans of Matryoshka Coffee. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Matryoshka is a tiny shop with a huge personality. It was started almost as a joke, but it’s definitely not a joke anymore. We specialize in specialty coffee, brewed with great care using expertly-roasted beans, and topping them with adornments like glitter and rainbow sprinkles.

Our shop motto is “have more fun” and we encourage both coffee professionals and coffee newbs alike to sit back and enjoy things that are happy without reserve. Our coffee is for everyone. We’re proud of our ability to break barriers within the specialty coffee world. For so long, there’s been a bit of snobbery around the craft of preparing coffee, and being goofy or silly is often not respected in the same way as someone who is more serious.

We like to surprise people: We take pride in our work and we partner with fantastic roasters (currently we use Crema Coffee Roasters, another local Nashville company), but we also top some of our lattes with glitter. The two ideas can and do coexist.

What makes you happy?
I’m happiest when both my own and the needs of others are met. I’m a caretaker at heart and I always want to ensure that anyone who comes in contact with me leaves feeling better. It’s not always easy, but working with people genuinely energizes me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.matryoshkacoffee.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/matryoshkacoffee

Image Credits
Victoria Quirk