By Chanda Temple
Naimah Elmore had a choice.
Today is her 42nd birthday and Labor Day, and she had originally planned to be off. But after thinking about how much people enjoy visiting Alicia’s Coffee shop in downtown Birmingham, she decided to be open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“Sometimes, it goes back to ‘What are you willing to sacrifice?’ ” Naimah said. “Are you willing to sacrifice being off on a holiday and just being at home? Or, can you get up, get out in the community and open up the doors?”
“You have to be able to make a sacrifice to get the things you want in life.”
Alicia’s Coffee opened in February 2025 at the A.G. Gaston Motel, which served as a strategy meeting spot for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and others during the civil rights movement in 1963. It was later refurbished in 2022, and it reopened as a museum for tours in 2023. Due to the high interest for the museum and coffee shop, foot traffic has increased, and the shop needs more equipment to keep up with the demand.
In August, Naimah and her business partner, Roc Harrell, launched a fundraiser to buy a larger espresso machine with two handles; a larger, ventless oven and warranty; and training classes for staff. Their goal is to raise $8,000. They’ve raised $1,100 so far.
Naimah admits that it’s always hard to ask for help, especially in today’s climate as people face their own tight financial matters. But one morning as she walked her two dogs, God told her to do the fundraiser.
“The people in Birmingham want to see us be successful, and they show that every day. So, we are taking that extra step to see if they can help us reach these goals,” Naimah said.
As Naimah recently talked about her dreams, she sat in her car outside the coffee shop and started to cry tears of joy. She pointed to the cars lined along the street. They all belonged to people visiting the coffee shop.
“You hear a lot of, ‘My city does not support.’ ‘People don’t do this.’ But if you do the right thing and give people something to be a part of that’s positive, they will help you succeed,” she said. “Sacrificing yourself for somebody else, that’s how you continue to get your blessings.”
When Naimah and Roc opened Alicia’s Coffee, they only had one espresso machine, a grinder and 10 flavors. But they had a vision to do more.
Today, Alicia’s Coffee has over 60 flavors for beverages, including iced coffee, hot coffee, bottled coffee, smoothies and lemonades. They also sell breakfast and lunch, providing products from local food vendors. When they first started selling breakfast sandwiches, they warmed them up in the microwave. But, they found the sandwiches came out a little rubbery. So, they saved their tip money to buy an oven to produce sandwiches and pastries with a toasted presentation. The end product pleased customers. But now, they are looking to meet greater demands of the public and bakers, which is why they want to get a larger oven. And by getting a larger espresso machine, they will be able to take the current machine on the road for pop-ups, and still have the larger one at the store. They also give a portion of the proceeds from certain drinks to help Birmingham students in need.
Naimah has applied for grants and loans, but was not approved for two grants and two loans. While she waits to get word on two additional grants this fall, she is promoting the fundraiser.
“Small businesses are built and run by the community,” Naimah said. “Dr. A.G. Gaston, he went to the churches to help run his businesses. Then, he went to the community. Then, he want back and put money into the community.”
“He was very intentional about what he wanted, and what he wanted was to empower African Americans by showing them success. You can own anything you want, but you must put in the work,” she said.
Today when she unlocks the shop’s front door, she’ll do what she always does as she crosses the threshold: She’ll look to the right, where Gaston’s photo is. It’s like he’s looking on with approval.
“We want to continue the legacy,” she said. “One of my favorite sayings from him was, ‘Find a need and fill it.’ We try to do that every day because coffee is community.”
Savor This!: Alicia’s Coffee is located at 1510 Fifth Ave. North.
Chanda Temple is an award-winning writer living in Birmingham, Ala. She blogs at http://www.chandatemplewrites.com. If you have a food story idea, email her at chandatemple@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram at @chandatemple.
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