A cafe built on
one simple belief.
That great coffee deserves great company. That craft is worth slowing down for. That a neighborhood cafe can matter deeply to the people who call it their own.
A lease, two espresso machines,
and a stubborn idea.
Velvet Grounds opened in March 2018 on Main Street in Franklin, Tennessee. The original space was 700 square feet. The staff was three people. The espresso machine had been shipped from Italy and was two weeks late arriving.
The idea was simple: Franklin deserved a coffee shop where the product was taken as seriously as the atmosphere. Not a chain. Not a concept. A real cafe, made by people who had spent years obsessing over extraction times, sourcing relationships, and the exact texture of steamed milk.
Seven years later, we have served over 300,000 cups, catered more than 200 events, and employed 40 people from the Franklin community. The espresso machine still runs every morning. The idea is still the same.
Three things we will never compromise on.
These are not mission statement words. They are the things we go back to every time a decision needs to be made.
Every choice we make, from the coffee we source to the butter we bake with, is made with the same question: is this the best we can do? If the answer is no, we find something better. It is that simple and that difficult.
We are a Franklin business before we are a coffee business. We hire locally, source locally where we can, and show up for our community. When Franklin does well, we do well. That alignment is intentional.
With our farmers, our suppliers, our team, and our guests. We pay fair prices up the chain. We pay fair wages internally. We tell you the truth about what is in your cup. Trust is a business model.
Built by two people who still work the bar.
Marcus spent six years as a competition barista before opening Velvet Grounds, placing in the top five of the US Barista Championship twice. He built our training program, maintains every supplier relationship, and still pulls the opening shot every weekday morning. Coffee is not a career for him. It is a calling.
Diana came from restaurant operations and hospitality management. She designed the space, built the team culture, launched the catering arm, and manages every relationship that keeps Velvet Grounds running smoothly. She also writes our seasonal menus, trains every front-of-house team member, and knows every regular by name.
Seven years in Franklin.
Velvet Grounds opens at 218 Main Street with three staff members, two espresso machines, and a pour-over menu that changes weekly. The line on opening day wraps around the block.
We hire our first pastry chef and begin baking in-house daily. The almond croissant becomes a community obsession within the first week. We run out every day for three months straight.
During the pandemic, we pivot to a window service model, launch a coffee subscription, and donate over 1,200 cups to healthcare workers at Williamson Medical Center. Hardest year. Most important year.
We invest in a mobile La Marzocco setup and take our first catering booking, a corporate offsite in Brentwood. We do 14 events in our first three months. The waitlist opens the following spring.
Seven years in, the original espresso machine is still running. The almond croissant still sells out. We have served over 300,000 cups and we are still not satisfied. There is always a better version of this place to build toward.
Right on Main Street.
We are in the heart of historic downtown Franklin, one block from the town square. There is street parking along Main Street and a public lot one block west. We are walkable from most of the downtown hotels.
218 Main Street, Franklin, TN 37064
Mon - Fri: 6:30am - 7pm | Sat: 7am - 6pm | Sun: 7am - 5pm
(615) 555-0147
Free, no password. Stay as long as you like.
The best way to know us
is to come in.
We are open every day. Pull up a chair, order something, and stay as long as you want. That is the whole idea.