On April 20, 2026, Atoka's Planning Commission voted on two commercial site plans in the same meeting. It recommended approval of a Green Frog Coffee & Grill drive-through on Atoka McLaughlin Drive and approved an Ace Hardware on Atoka Munford Avenue, right next to Town Hall. Six months later, the two are far apart. Green Frog lists its Atoka store as hiring for October 2026. The Ace was still working out a drainage agreement with the town in August, and its own owner was telling people to expect it next year.
Much of the hardware store's remaining work comes from the lot it sits on, which borders Atoka's own Town Hall.
One meeting, two very different projects
The Town of Atoka's Planning Commission minutes for the 6 p.m. meeting on April 20, 2026 show both items under new business. Here is how they compare.
| Green Frog / Elite Dental | Ace Hardware | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Atoka McLaughlin Drive | 374 Atoka Munford Avenue, next to Town Hall at 334 |
| Building | 10,300 sq ft, shared by three tenants | 12,000 sq ft retail store on about 1.57 acres |
| Tenants | Elite Dental, Green Frog Café with drive-through, one more retail space | Ace Hardware |
| Done before the vote | Drive-through and setback variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals; revised brick elevations | Staff report calling for engineering review before permits and a revised front elevation |
| Vote on April 20 | Recommended for approval with staff recommendations | Approved with staff recommendations, plus a check with the Fire Chief on the single entrance |
| Latest public timing | Green Frog's hiring form says "Atoka, TN - October 2026" | Owner told readers "See you next year"; opening reported as "next summer" |
The table shows the main difference. The McLaughlin Drive project had cleared its drive-through variance and fixed its brick elevations before it reached the commission. The Ace project left the meeting with conditions still to meet.
Why the coffee drive-thru got there first
A drive-through window needs more approval than a regular storefront. The Elite Dental and Green Frog building had already been granted a drive-through and setback variance by the Board of Zoning Appeals before the April meeting, so the Planning Commission only had to review the full site plan.
The design was the other open item. Atoka's commercial standards call for 75 percent brick. The April staff report found the café building's first drawings didn't meet that rule. The applicants came to the meeting with revised plans that did. The motion recommended approval on the condition that the building meet the 75 percent brick requirement as presented, with a secondary material like EIFS allowed if it meets the town's requirements.
Green Frog isn't new to the region. The company's website lists cafés in Dyersburg on the Highway 51 Bypass, in North Jackson near Union University, and on North Main in Middleton, and it offers franchises. Its Atoka page still says "Coming Soon!" with no date. The Green Frog jobs page is more specific. Applicants can choose "Atoka, TN - October 2026" for drive-thru, cashier, kitchen, or management jobs.
A business that is hiring staff is usually far along. As of this week, the McLaughlin Drive café is the one that has reached that point.
What's still open on the lot next to Town Hall
The Ace staff report for 374 Atoka Munford Avenue called for engineering review before any permits and a revised front elevation that meets the same 75 percent brick rule. The commission approved the site plan on April 20 with those staff recommendations. It also asked staff to check with the Fire Chief about the plan's single entrance. According to Paper Folds News, the plans include a new entrance from Atoka Munford Avenue, on-site parking, and internal drives.
The location adds one more step. Rainwater from a new parking lot has to drain somewhere, and on this site the closest neighbor is Atoka's own government campus. In the town's August 11, 2026 meeting packet, the town administrator said the shared stormwater agreement with the developer of the property next to Town Hall wasn't ready yet. The Planning Commission's August 17 minutes list "Ace Hardware-Shared Stormwater agreement" under miscellaneous items, with Planning Coordinator Jim Atkinson giving an update.
So in late summer, the town was still a party to an agreement on this project as well as the body reviewing its plans, which ties the hardware store's timing partly to the town's own paperwork.
The owner's own timeline
The timeline for the hardware store came from one of its owners, in public. In April, Paper Folds News reported that a social media post about the store drew pushback. One of the owners answered online, and the outlet quoted her:
I'm not coming to your town as some big bad corporate giant to take out the little guy. I was the little guy not that long ago. ... Come hang out in Arlington or Oakland. You'll never have so much fun buying a screw or a toilet flapper. See you next year.
The same article said the store was scheduled to open "next summer" next to Town Hall. Since it ran in April 2026, that points to summer 2027. The paper also reported that much of the opposition was about Atoka's growth and the chance the new store could draw business away from Haddad's, which has been in business in Munford for more than a century.
Treat summer 2027 as the owner's target, not a schedule the town has set. The stormwater item was still open in August, and engineering review has to come before permits.
Where the errands go until summer 2027
For now, a trip to the hardware store from Atoka still means leaving town. A morning coffee may soon stay closer to home. These places will cover the gap until the corner by Town Hall fills in.
- Haddad's, 69 Crigger, Munford. It's listed with the Do it Best hardware co-op, phone 901-837-8025. Many longtime residents may still think of it as Haddad's Department Store. A 2019 Mid-South retail history post quoting the Covington Leader used that name and placed it across the parking lot from Munford's old Fred's. Store listing.
- Ace Hardware of Oakland, 7860 Highway 64, Oakland. This is one of the two towns the Atoka owner pointed people to in her post. Store page.
- Ace Hardware of Arlington, 11801 Crawford Pines Drive, Arlington. This is the other one. Store page.
- Drizzle N' Dough, 11180 Highway 51 South, Suite 3, Atoka. Paper Folds News reported that this café filed its county business license on May 1, 2026. Its sign was approved at the same April 20 meeting as the Ace and Green Frog plans. It first applied as "Dirty Soda," learned that name was taken, and broadened the concept under the new name. Its delivery menu listing includes dirty sodas, açaí bowls, beignets, and coffee, but that listing is currently marked not active, so call ahead before you go.
For the hardware store, the next milestones to watch for are a finished stormwater agreement and a building permit. The same April 20 agenda that carried both projects also posted a 156-lot subdivision for Maple Woods Village, which staff recommended deferring. The Planning Commission meets on the third Monday of each month at Town Hall, 334 Atoka Munford Avenue, and new items show up in its agenda packets before they show up anywhere else.
At Dawson Realty Group, we follow the same planning agendas you do. When a lot along Atoka Munford Avenue or McLaughlin Drive starts to change, we can tell you what the town has approved and what it's still waiting on. If you live near either site and want to talk through what a new business next door could mean for your street, reach out and we'll walk through it with you.
