Take a Peek Inside the Prettiest New Coffee Shop in Philadelphia

Three Graces Coffee Co. owner Yulee Park’s daughter Katherine making drinks. Photograph by Kyle Smith Born

When Yulee Park was an attorney in New York City, she would regularly decamp to coffee shops to get work done. Fast-forward 12 years: Park and her husband moved to Philly and had four daughters. But as her girls got older, Park began to think about her future. Coffee shops continued to be a respite, but she noticed that “a lot of cafes are very masculine — brown and industrial. I wanted a space that wasn’t quite feminine, but something softer.” She took the plunge and secured her own spot in Queen Village in 2018. When construction wrapped right before the pandemic took hold, Park decided to open anyway: “The silver lining was that we were slower. By the time we can fully open, we’ll be perfect.”

Mural

Kensington’s Moth Paper created wallpaper based on a 19th-century landscape by renowned Black artist Robert S. Duncanson. The mural continues into the vault — left over from when the building was a bank — which is used to store coffee. “Because it’s so precious,” jokes manager Ji Chang.

Counter

Park worked with Otto Architects on the layout but selected finishes with the help of her design-minded sister-in-law. Park’s husband, a woodworking hobbyist turned general contractor, built the cabinets, which are painted in Stardew by Sherwin Williams.

Lighting

The pendants are from Savina; the chandelier is from Serena & Lily.

Espresso machine

The Victoria Arduino White Eagle machine was custom-created in Park’s favorite hue, magenta. She liked the idea of an unexpected pop of color: “It balances out a space that might be a little too serious.”

Published as “Beantown” in the August 2020 issue of Philadelphia magazine.