Neighborhood café Gather opens beside Urban Fort Play in McKinley Heights

Name: Neighborhood café Gather opens beside Urban Fort Play in McKinley Heights
Item: Gather
Author: Alice Nguyen

The new addition features a full espresso bar, as well as local craft beer, canned cocktails, and fresh pastries.

by Alice Nguyen

May 11, 2021

10:48 AM

Courtesy Gather

McKinley Heights has a new neighborhood café: Gather.

The café was created out of Urban Fort Play Café, the indoor children’s play space owned and operated by Megan King-Popp and Monica Croke. During the pandemic, after Urban Fort temporarily closed, the owners decided to separate the café and play components of their business. “We found that our café sales were dependent on people playing,” King-Popp says.

Gather and Urban Fort Play are now physically divided by a sound-proofed wall, which is meant to provide comfort to visitors to the café. “Because of the energy level of young children, it was not always be comfortable for the general public to spend time at the café,” King-Popp says, “so we put up walls and made a new vibe, new name, and new brand, to become more inclusive to the whole community.”

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Courtesy Gather

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Courtesy Gather

Courtesy Gather

The café is currently holding a soft opening, with a partial menu that features food and drinks from such local partners as Blueprint Coffee, Living Room Coffee & Kitchen, Big Heart Tea, and Whisk: a Sustainable Bakeshop, as well as local craft beer and canned cocktails from 4 Hands Brewing Co., 1220 Artisan Spirits, and WellBeing Brewing.

Once the café is fully open, visitors will be able to order from the coffee bar and menu of breakfast and lunch items. Signature items include the curried chicken salad sandwich, quiche, and turkey bacon sandwich. Among the new items: a biscuit and egg sandwich, BLTE, and more pastry selections.

Courtesy Gather

The café area is now an inviting space for people from all walks of life, not just parents and children. The space has a light, airy feel, with lots of plants, neutral colors, and plenty of seating.

“I want the neighborhood to feel like they can make this their second home on a daily basis,” King-Popp says. “We want it to be a community gathering place.”