Click here to learn how to pronounce “matryoshka”.
Spoiler: there are many ways that folks pronounce it, and the “correct” way is using vocaloids found in the Russian language, but honestly we are bad at speaking Russian.

Matryoshka was founded on two major principles: good coffee can be fun, and joy is something everyone deserves.

In early 2020, Matryoshka owner Abbey Chiavario purchased a small, 960-square foot unit in a small complex within an unassuming industrial park on Nashville’s south side with her husband Jake.

The space was originally slated to become the home base for Technico, Jake’s coffee and espresso technician business. On a walk early on in the pandemic, Abbey offhandedly mentioned the idea of opening a coffee shop in the front third of the unit. Thus, Matryoshka, the shop within the shop (like its nesting doll namesake), was born.

Heavily inspired by the book Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee — a book about how aesthetics in our environments can create tangible joy — and heavy on DIY, Abbey set out to build a coffee shop herself with the help of YouTube and online tutorials. She quit her long-term nannying job in August of 2021, and spent the latter half of the year documenting the process online for others to follow along. In December 2021, after four long months, Matryoshka officially opened its doors.

Since then, Matryoshka has become a beast of its own. Jake’s business Technico moved out in October of 2024, which led to the takeover of the entire space and creating what you now see when you walk through our front door. It’s a bit larger than it used to be, and while we miss the intimacy of being able to talk to every person in the cafe, we feel lucky for the extra breathing room and the folks that fill up our space.

Through the years, we’ve been able to make a name for ourselves as the home base for a strong community, a place that isn’t afraid to take risks, and somewhere that squashes pretension.

On a personal level, Matryoshka has transformed from a project that was built nearly alone to a community-heavy space that fosters deep connections with others, and we couldn't be more proud and delighted to be a part of it.

Matryoshka is queer-owned and a dedicated safe space for our LGBTQIA+ community and other minority groups and we intend to do all we can to ensure we stay that way.