Photograph by Garin Pirnia
In 2024, Heather Barrow and her husband Andy spent six months at Cincinnati Children’s Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) after their daughter, Mya, was born at 24 weeks. “Obviously, no one wants to be in that situation,” Heather says. “But there’s not a lot over there that you can walk to and clear your head.”
Her daughter’s room overlooked a garden in which monarch butterflies fluttered around. (The monarch is listed as a threatened species because farmers and homeowners use pesticides to kill milkweed, the only plant monarch caterpillars feast on.) When Mya passed away later that year, the couple wanted to find a way to honor the child they lost and the time they spent in the hospital, in the line of sight of those beautiful butterflies filling their view.
Last week, they opened the coffee shop The Monarch House, located inside the 131-year-old flatiron building at the corner of Sycamore Street and Dorchester Avenue in Mt. Auburn.
Less than a block from Christ Hospital, the new coffee shop caters to hospital workers and families. “We started it so families could get a little time to step away and kind of regroup because it’s daunting to be there every day, and you get tired of the hospital food after a while,” says Heather, who co-owns the shop with Andy.
The Monarch House has two patios (the back patio overlooks a monarch mural), a downstairs speakeasy, tables, and a coffee bar. Across the street resides a park with chess boards, benches, and flowers galore, offering another relaxing spot.
Last year, the coffee shop Flatiron Cafe closed in the building, and a friend of the Barrows bought the building and offered them the space. They’ve worked in property management for several years, but this is their first business.
“It’s a nice area,” she says. “We really liked that it was close to the hospital and the people who come here have a quiet, cozy place to visit. There [are] a lot of people who live around here who can walk here, so we’ve had a lot more foot traffic than we were expecting, but that’s great.”
Photograph by Garin Pirnia
Fortunately, Heather is expecting another baby girl. The cycle of life continues, much like the monarch butterfly’s full-circle path in life. “The sense of community and coziness reminds me a lot of how we made Mya’s room when we were in the hospital, and just a place where people felt loved and comforted,” Heather says. “Everybody at Children’s made us feel that way so we wanted to bring that here and be that for the community.”
All of the cold foams and syrups are made in-house, including the banana bread latte and banana bread matcha. Proceeds for its specialty Monarch Mocha—which contains orange syrup and is sprinkled with orange zest—go to Cincinnati Children’s. The coffee shop also offers a brown sugar shaken espresso, a honey cinnamon latte, and a cookies and cream latte (hot or iced).
“The drinks are fresh and light, not overly sweet,” Heather says. “We wanted something that people were going to enjoy, but not make you feel bad.”
The coffee and tea menu (including local roaster Pneuma Coffee Roasters) will rotate seasonally, and the couple is already thinking ahead to fall drinks like a pumpkin spiced latte, and a S’mores drink with a graham cracker crumble. The coffee shop has a limited food menu, including a Greek salad, caprese chicken sandwich, a breakfast sandwich, Marx Bagels, and pastries from Covington’s North South Baking Co.
Photograph by Garin Pirnia
Beginning next Monday, August 3, The Monarch House will have a full liquor license and offer beer, wine, happy hour deals, and cocktails. Wine bottles are available for purchase, and the Barrows want to start a wine club and host wine events.
“We’re just trying to get our footing right now and figure out spatially where to store things and how to prep things,” Heather says. “It’s a good problem to have but we’re definitely a lot busier than we anticipated being. We’re super excited about that and everybody’s been very nice, supportive, and patient.”
The Monarch House is located at 1833 Sycamore St., Starting Monday, August 3, the hours will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The grand opening event is scheduled for Saturday, August 15.
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