d’griot Cafe Brings Sustainable Food and Community Space to Germantown

The Black-owned cafe in Maplewood Mall centers sustainable food, local vendors and community programming, all rooted in Germantown’s long tradition of neighborhood entrepreneurship.

For Blew Kind, community isn’t a buzzword. It’s the foundation of every space she builds.

Kind is best known locally for Franny Lou’s Porch, the previous East Kensington cafe that became a gathering space for artists, activists and neighbors. d’griot expands her mission of creating welcoming, purpose-driven spaces, this time in Germantown.

The cafe opened Jan. 3 in Maplewood Mall. Maplewood Mall has a more than six-decade history of Black entrepreneurship, and Kind said opening there felt like a natural fit.

Kind describes her approach as “Black, brown, local, and sustainable,” a framework that guides everything from a clean, holistic vegan menu to the candles, soaps, plant-based jewelry, and self-care goods sourced from neighborhood makers.

“Everything is vegan or vegetarian and nutrient-dense – we’re intentional about what goes into it and how it’s prepared,” Kind says. “We cook with steel and cast iron, use oils that hold up at high temperatures, and focus on food that’s nutritionally sound and feels like home. That same consistency carries over to the products we stock. Customers can expect quality every time.” Even the operations and cleaning supplies have sustainable intentionality behind it. 

A name rooted in history and culture

“He trusted that I could make a dope café.”

Blew kind

When it comes to naming inclusive community spaces, Blew Kind embraces history and heritage. “I wanted to encompass the energy and the story of what we’re about,” said Kind. Franny Lou’s Porch was named in homage to African American women’s and voting rights activist, Fannie Lou Hamer and 19th-century African American poet and abolitionist, Francis E.W. Harper.

The term “griot” refers to a West African storyteller – a keeper of culture, oral history, and music. Pronounced “duh-gree-oh,” the name d’griot incorporates “d’,” a nod to African American Vernacular English, where “d” often replaces “the,” embedding the café’s identity in Black language and tradition.

As an artist and poet, Kind felt drawn to the griot tradition, particularly the kora, the stringed instrument, and its role in reclaiming the past to reshape the future.

The cafe has been a project in the making since 2019, with help from a realtor friend who connected Kind with the previous owners of the Maplewood Mall Nutrition and Dietary Shop. “I’ve known one of the owners for many years, so he knew what I could do with Franny Lou’s. He trusted that I could make a dope café.”

Building More than a Business

Blew Kind sees the potential in developing future leaders and business owners through her own “how to start your own cafe” course. She provides training for people interested in the food and beverage industry and who would like to start their own community cafe or small business.

The community programming organically grows into what the community needs. Every 3rd Thursday is open mic night and jam session. Monthly story hour on Sundays, with a learning cooperative called Koko-Roko, after the Ghanaian Andrinka symbol, which signifies vitality, power, and leadership.

For people looking to live a more sustainable life, Kind says the key is to just start with where you are.

“Affirm the things you’ve already done and keep growing. Even if it’s simple, like advocating for metal straws. Start small. Get all your friends on board. Then grow it, instead of focusing on what you don’t have.” 

Cover photo: d’Griot, Facebook.