Retrograde Coffee

Steve Mabee, Nathan Weinberg, Davey Rowe Mabee and Kelly Boutwell founded Retrograde in 2018, built out of an old garage space and billed as Dickerson Pike's first full service coffee shop, aiming to be a true neighborhood stop rather than a destination cafe. In 2021 the team launched sister roasting company Lightspeed Coffee, which now supplies both Retrograde cafes and outside wholesale clients rather than Retrograde roasting on site itself.

The room keeps its converted garage character, with natural light, worn wooden floors and a back patio, and serves bagels and pastries from Dozen Bakery alongside the coffee. Retrograde has since grown to three Nashville cafes, with a fourth reportedly planned in Inglewood.