In 2021, Phoenix real estate developer Dave Chamberlin bought a long-abandoned building on Fifth Street and Thomas Road, originally constructed by prolific Phoenix architect Al Beadle in 1970. Chamberlin restored the 21,000-square-foot, three-story structure to its former glory, where it now serves as the headquarters for his firm, Chamberlin + Associates.  

Chamberlin also sought out to repurpose the 1940s-era house next door into a small coffee shop, which eventually evolved into Sophia’s Brunch Counter, an elevated counter-service breakfast spot that opened in December. The new restaurant is a deeply personal, design-forward labor of love that blends family, food, architecture and innovation 

Chamberlin dishes about the journey from modest daydream to multipurpose destination, the family ties woven into each design decision, and the larger transformation unfolding along the Central Avenue Corridor. 

What was your vision for Sophia’s Brunch Counter? How did the outcome both align with and divert from it? 

I’ve loved the Beadle building forever. I looked at it for 10 years when it was fenced off. I said, “I want to buy that thing.” It was all boarded up. I said, “I’ve got to find out who owns it.” I drove by it one day and just called the guy, who turned out to be a friend of mine. I had literally looked at the building for years, and it took 20 minutes to make a deal.  

Adjacent were these old homes built in the ’40s, and I thought, “I’ll buy the buildings next door because they’re kind of run-down… You know what would be cool? Why don’t we do a little coffee shop that would be an amenity?” I called Phoenix design firm Kaiserworks and said, “Hey, can you develop something here? Come up with the design.”  

It went from, “I want to have just a coffee shop” to “I spent $2.7 million and it took four years.” My brother, Valley chef Aaron Chamberlin, and I spent a year and a half perfecting the menu. I said, “I want to do a really high-end counter service restaurant. Somebody can go there and order a French toast, but I don’t want just any French toast, Aaron. I want you to come up with a recipe that’s a French toast that’s on steroids.”  

Sophia’s Brunch Counter is truly a family affair, much like Chamberlin + Associates. Your brother advised on the menu, and it’s named after your granddaughter, Sophia. Tell us more about that. 

My daughters are there working, my brother is there working, and my son is in there starting his career as a builder. It’s just really special. When it was being built, Aaron said, “It kind of has a feminine look, and I just feel like we need to have a female name.” Pure coincidence—my son Dylan came in and said, “Hey, we’re pregnant! If the baby’s a girl, we’re going to name her Sophia.” That’s how we came up with the name.  

The natural lighting, the color palette, the plants… the space is very feminine. How did these design elements come about? 

I want to give credit where credit is due. Christoph Kaiser and Kaiserworks did exactly what I told them not to do. I told them I wanted a simple coffee shop. The lightbulbs above the tables are the only things we purchased. Everything else, he made by hand.  

What about the industrial-looking steel structure around the exterior? 

The architecture by Christoph is just unbelievable. He took these outdated homes, came up with new designs for them and transformed them. It’s really spectacular. My long-term plan is to continue to acquire the properties and remodel them. When you drive down Thomas Road, you’ll see these little boutique offices and they’ll all be different, but they will tie together. You can come rent a place and walk over and have a coffee and a pastry at Sophia’s and walk back. 

You mentioned that you are currently in the process of developing two new buildings. Can you tell us about that timeline? 

We have them in for the permit with the city. There are two more buildings that will be going into construction this year. One of them is 2,200 square feet and the other is 1,300 square feet, and we’re going to completely transform them into boutique offices. What I’d like to do is continue to do really unique, small offices. I don’t want to do an office community. I want standalone, super-cool, unique offices—a hair salon or an architect or an engineering firm. All of the different buildings are going to have these different shapes and sizes, but be very well put together.