“When we first pitched this to our friends in Florida, all of them thought we were insane,” Chacon said, “and that we’d never get anyone to pay more than $5 for a cup of coffee.” When the couple moved to Nashville, they met with Brock by chance, bonding over Leica cameras.
“You know that if they have a Leica, they care about the same small details and craftsmanship as you,” Brock said. “I saw them eating pizza at a table beside me and made a remark about the Leica. Once they started explaining their vision for how people would experience Now and Then, I knew we were cut from the same cloth.”
Now and Then initially set up shop at Brock’s now closed Bar Continental inside the Grand Hyatt Nashville, using Brock’s elaborate audio setup and serving irresistibly fluffy milk bread. The format was a nod to Japanese jazz kissa bars, dedicated listening lounges serving up tea or alcohol.
Across the country, contemporary tea shops appeal to those seeking alternatives to bars and nightlife.
As the trio grew closer, the pop-up morphed into a proper residency. The three would team up for other collaborations, like a Mother’s Day brunch featuring Now and Then’s coffee service.
When Brock left the Hyatt, he brought Now and Then into his 809 Meridian St. building, renting out the bar space upstairs from Audrey and across the hall from his other restaurant, June, to Chacon and Ball. (Now and Then’s space also hosts Bar Audrey, a Monday-only pop-up where Brock runs community vinyl nights and serves up cheeseburgers.)
“Their passion for perfection inspires me the most,” Brock says. “We need more people who aren’t scared to take chances and question traditions.”
Flocks of fans followed. Now and Then has established a rapport with regulars, celebrities (including the pop band, Plain White T’s, which documented their visit on TikTok), and out-of-state enthusiasts who make the trip for the experience.
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But it’s not all beanheads and baristas. Chacon and Ball set out to meet every patron at their level and to expand their horizons.
Over a year into Now and Then’s Nashville iteration, and armed with a devoted band of followers, the couple is looking to grow once again. They’ve signed a lease for a brick-and-mortar space, about a mile down the road but much, much larger.
Ball says the goal is to expand to a coffee omakase experience and tea service with wagashi treats between courses by day, and a wine bar by night. Dining in will still be required, but they’ll offer a to-go window with a separate menu for the take-out crowd.
“Imagine eating milk bread, drinking coffee, and listening to Black Sabbath on vinyl,” Ball says, grinning, before starting his next pour. “It sounds f*#%ing sick.”
