With delicious drinks, tasty treats and thoughtful tutors, the Brain Station—a café, shop and tutoring hub—opened its doors in October 2023 for those of all ages. Located in downtown Kennesaw in a historical home, the establishment’s walls exude a familial energy. At the Brain Station, NC students can order a specialized frappuccino, unwind with the crocheting club and even book a tutor to help them with college applications. Although the Brain Station seems to cater to students with its tutoring and youthful activities, visitors can relax in the café, balcony, outside or specialized activity rooms.
“We are more than tutoring—we’re a café—we have coffee, smoothies, tea and snacks. When we saw the house several years back, we thought this would be a great place to open our establishment. Two years ago, this place went up for sale and we snatched it up. We wanted to do something for our other daughter Emily Clark who passed away in 2015. We have a boutique in her name inside of here, Emily’s Corner, where we sell various items too,” owner Kathy Clark said.
At the forefront of the Brain Station, owners Kathy and Haily Clark—a mother-daughter duo—banded together to create the establishment of their dreams. Kathy Clark, a mother of a child with dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia, always dreamed of creating a safe space for children to gain one-on-one learning. With the help of her daughter, Haily Clark, and the memory of her late daughter Emily Clark, the family took on the ideas of Brain Station with full force.
To keep the memory of Emily Clark alive, the Brain Station also hosts a gift shop within its walls. Outside of the shop reads “Emily’s Corner,” and the interior spills out with bright colors and beautiful merchandise. Emily’s Corner sells local items from soaps, bags, jewelry, baby clothing, candles, mugs, bath bombs and honey. Alongside the local items, the shop sells Haily Clark’s handmade pottery and jewelry. Additionally, the store encompasses a sorority life wall with handmade items catered toward those engaged in sorority life or looking to rush in the future.
“We try to keep everything local and women-owned. Nothing here is something you can find on Amazon or anything on that. The handmade bags are made by indigenous people in Mexico. The lady who sells them does not make any money off of the products. She gives all the profits of the bags and gives it back to the community fully. They’re made of recycled plastic,” Kathy Clark said.
Five different tutors—each with distinct specialties—work at the Brain Station for students looking for tutoring. From science to Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) prep to specialized services to college readiness prep, students of various ages can find a tutor that caters to their needs. To hire a tutor, students and parents can sign up on the Brain Station’s website.
“We have separate individual rooms upstairs with different themes to them where tutoring takes place. There’s no age limit to our tutoring. If we have a tutor for it on our site, we’ll accept you. We have tutors associated with our family and local Kennesaw people who signed up for tutoring,” Hailey Clark said.
After a major tutoring session, students can unwind with a frappuccino and a bagel from the café. The Brain Station sells local bagels, gluten and dairy-free treats, scones, brownies and cookies. Alongside the snacks, the baristas create specialized drinks. For the Valentine’s season, the café sells white chocolate raspberry lattes, raspberry Italian sodas, sugar and spice mochas and strawberries and cream frappuccinos.
“We had to redo a lot of things in the house. Repainting, knocking down tiles and fire cages for our fireplace. We are trying to make it feel homely. This is a place where students can be dropped off to get tutoring, relax and make more friends. Hopefully, with more promotion, we can bring in some more students to our establishment,” Hailey Clark said.
Open from 7:30 AM to 8 PM Monday through Friday and 8 AM to 7 PM on Saturdays, students can relax at the Brain Station after school and all weekend. Visit the Brain Station for an ultimate study and relaxation session with friends at 2940 Dallas Street, Kennesaw, GA 30144.
