By: Deborah Johnson Wood
There's new energy surrounding 15 Ionia SW after Tuesday's grand opening of Go Java, a boutique coffeehouse set amid an eclectic mix of shops, offices, residential flats, restaurants, and bars.
"I feel like I'm right in the middle of a goldmine," says owner Jeff Davis. "The demographics here are excellent. The bars are hopping every night. The events at the Van Andel draw a lot of people. There are lots of students who attend Cooley Law School and Aveda. And there's a condo complex going up soon."
Davis hails from Wayland and researched several possible locations—Wayland, Grandville, Middleville, and the M6/Kalamazoo Avenue area—but didn't find the right spot until he saw the space he's in now. He points out that there are a number of coffeehouses in the Center City, so adding one more at first seemed risky. However, his location is just outside the city's core, so it fills a gap for workers and visitors in the immediate area.
"To walk across Fulton to go to Monroe Center for coffee is quite a ways during the winter weather," Davis says.
The shop's interior features wood floors original to the historic building, and seating for 18, including several street-view spaces at the urban coffee bar that runs along the storefront windows.
Patrons will find a variety of beverage offerings plus homemade cinnamon rolls, muffins, and scones made from recipes developed exclusively for Go Java by Alicat Kitchens in Grandville.
Source: Jeff Davis, Go Java; Ellie Frey, Second Story Properties
Photograph by Brian Kelly
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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