Jamaican-born Antoinette King graduated from Cornell University and earned an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business before she ended up owning a cafe and home boutique in Franklin.
King opened King’s Cafe and Home Boutique in December 2024 after a corporate layoff. She has been exploring the area and local businesses ever since 2021 when she bought a home in Walton as “a place to relax,” she said.
King previously lived in Harlem, traveled as a consultant and worked remotely even before COVID-19 made remote work so popular.
Working remotely allowed this downstater to become an upstater.
King bought the building at 375 Main St. in Franklin from a previous owner who has a passion for restoring old buildings. The commercial property, built in 1864, sits next door to the Franklin Fire Department.
It has a rich history. It was a law firm at one time and the site of the previous Franklin Library. King credits the previous owner for bringing it “back to life.”
Kings375.com just celebrated one year in business. King said she will have a belated anniversary mixer on Sunday, Jan. 11.
King’s first year in business has been all about experimentation. Her vision is that King’s “would be a constantly evolving space.”
She said collaborating with other upstate business owners in her space is the formula she is using to build community in Franklin.
Creating a welcoming space was her intention. “The space is supposed to feel like you just visited your friend at home for coffee or tea,” she said.
King sells and serves coffee from Jamaica as well as coffee beans from Molto Molto Community Coffee Shop in Walton. When asked to describe the taste of her Jamaican coffee, she said, “It is smoother, less bitter and has some chocolatey and earthy notes.”
King is a tea lover. Ginger and mint tea are popular in Jamaica. She carries a variety of hand-crafted, gourmet teas from Tay Tea in Delhi, a local business she admires.
“Originally, I featured croissants from Five Kids Bakhouse just over the hill,” she said. She described the bakery in Gilbertsville as a “warm and beautiful space.”
“The shop wasn’t supposed to be a food space in the beginning,” King said.
When she started offering pop-up events to bring the community together, the menu grew from coffee, tea and croissants indoors in her micro-cafe to meals served family-style in the large backyard behind the building.
“I enjoy cooking,” King said.
When she realized that one of her guests was gluten-free and could not enjoy the pita bread she served with her homemade hummus, she added some of her rustic seed crackers to the table.
Before long, her customers began asking if they could buy her seed crackers and take them home. One year later, King’s Rustic Seed Crackers are for sale in multiple local businesses, including Five Kids Bakehouse.
“There’s a ton of demand for gluten-free items, more than vegan,” King said.
She also curates “locally-sourced and globally-inspired home products.” The shop is currently exhibiting Peruvian products such as wall hangings and colorful pillows.
The home products range from “vintage treasures to modern designs” according to the kings375.com website, which features a small, online catalogue with soaps, vases and furniture.
She sells products that help her customers create their own “spaces that invite gathering, conversation, and connection,” she said.
“I love doing events. I am here today because of the kindness of others, physically and mentally,” King said.
King grew up in the countryside of Jamaica. At age six, she said, she was diagnosed with a form of cancer. “I was able to get a visa,” she said. She was treated at St. Jude Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
When she was released from the hospital, she lived in Texas with her father, an immigrant working in the U.S. and sending money home to his family in Jamaica, she explained.
Eventually, the family moved to the Bronx, where her grandfather was a building superintendent.
After living in Long Island and New York City, where she worked as a consultant for several firms including Ernst & Young in its value creation group, she decided she wanted more “greenery around me and more access to the outdoors,” she said.
Once she bought her home in Walton, “I just never left,” she said.
Just before opening King’s Cafe, she worked for a start-up in real estate technology, she said. “I was very lucky. I survived six rounds of layoffs.”
Then in 2024 she was finally laid off and also diagnosed with breast cancer. She received treatment at New York University through a referral from a friend. Her cancer is now in remission.
As King decided what she wanted to do next, she reflected on her skills and her heritage.
“Jamaica is lush and green and has rolling hills and lots of fruits and vegetables. There is a connection to the land,” she said.
The terrain is similar to upstate New York. The people here share the same warmth as people in Jamaica, she said.
“My specialty is operations and strategy,” she said. King’s Cafe is a combination of all of her experiences.
During the summer months, King’s Cafe hosts 20 to 25 people in its backyard space. King sets up one big, long table outside. “Everything is served family style,” she said.
Bittersweet Farm Brewery in Franklin did a beer tasting there. For Father’s Day, King invited Culinary Cabin to pair its tacos with the brewery’s beer for a special event that raised money for The Movember Foundation, an organization focused on men’s mental health.
She also hosted live music on a Sunday in her backyard. “Music is a great way to bring people together,” King said.
King’s Mother’s Day event was sold out. Inside the boutique and cafe, King can accommodate 8 to 10 people.
She has hosted a reception where artist Caryn Davis exhibited her work. She has even hosted a local talent who offered a free course in screenwriting.
In October 2025, King joined Delhi’s Farmers’ Market, where she sells her rustic seed crackers and homemade hummus.
King’s Cafe is also a member of the Greater Delhi Area Chamber of Commerce and the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce.