Fido in Hillsboro Village was a trailblazer for coffee shops in the area, and now the longstanding spot will close in 2028.
A large sign with a countdown above it announces that the coffee shop, part of its sister company Bongo Jovo, will be closing.
In 1996, when Fido opened in Hillsboro Village, it was mainly a locally owned business area, and Nashville wasn’t yet a major city. In the message about the closing from Founder Bob Bernstein, it stated, “I never dreamed that this humble cafe would become a large part of the Nashville story and an important part of numerous people’s lives.”
It continued, “The same thing happened in other neighborhoods: someone took a chance, someone else followed, and somehow a new area became the place to be. Slowly, the city exploded. And businesses, retailers, and restaurateurs with bigger names and deeper pockets took notice. As leases expired, many of those who put their savings and dreams into their small businesses and created the look, feel, and taste of Nashville became victims of their own success.”
The message shared about how so many customers have memories from other places that were previously open in Hillsboro Village. In talking about why make the announcement so early, the message shared, “I’ve never cared about the usual way. And I believe this is partly why Fido and our other businesses became trusted and welcome parts of their communities. I don’t want our closing to be a sudden sad thing. I want these last years, months, days, minutes and seconds to be a reflection and celebration.”
For those who have lived in Nashville for some time, Fido was formerly a pet shop called Jones Pet Shop; you can still see the Jones Pet Shop sign outside above the Fido doorway. However, the name of the shop was not derived from the pet shop itself; it was named after the dog who discovered coffee. A goat herder, Kaidi, is given credit for discovering coffee, but it was his dog who was the hero, according to the Fido website.
Hours of operation for Fido are Monday-Friday, 7 am – 5 pm, Saturday-Sunday, 7 am – 4 pm.
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