Allgood family keeps East Chattanoogans connected... and caffeinated

Allgood's Used Books & Coffee on Glass Street is part of one local family's longtime commitment to building community 

By Ian-Alijah Bey

A note from the video editor

Whenever I catch word of a new coffee shop in town I make it my duty to visit. When I heard about Allgood’s Used Books and Coffee, only three minutes from my home in East Chattanooga, I had to see what all the hype was about.

The atmosphere inside the shop is one of a kind, something owner Jacquelyn Allgood-White is very intentional about: soft jazz notes, towering shelves of classic African-American literature, and the smell of chai tea greet you as you enter. Since the original owner Betty Patterson (Jacquelyn’s grandmother) opened the business in 2019, Allgood’s has become a community center. But the Allgood family has been creating places for people to connect for years. The backyard Bible clubs and pool parties the Allgoods would host for the community during Jacquelyn’s childhood helped instill trust between their family and the ones around them.

I walked into this cafe expecting to leave with a story about coffee. Instead, I learned about community building, the importance of safe spaces for fellowship, and how the Allgood family is changing the landscape of the neighborhood I grew up in.

If you visit

2420 Glass Street, Chattanooga, TN 37406

9:30am - 4:00pm | Monday - Friday

Closed | Sunday and Saturday