By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Despite the cold Michigan snow on the window ledges outside, inside hot California style is all around: terra cotta hued concrete floors, walls tinted with dark sage and mustard, black accents, and the rich aroma of coffee.
It’s a Grind Coffee House, a franchise based in California but with an emphasis on local ownership, is the first business to open in the newly renovated 629 Michigan St. building.
That local emphasis made way for the owners to add Urban Mill, a local bread company, to the coffee shop atmosphere, adding fresh sandwiches and soups and homemade sauces to the shop’s menu of specialty coffees, teas, and blended drinks.
“We searched for two years for a place to set up a second shop and decided on medical hill,” says owner Tim Boersma, 32, a partner in the enterprise with Chad Cassaday, Keith Cannon, Brent Lohrmann, and Steve VanErmen. The original It’s a Grind is in the Plaza Towers building.
“We cater to Spectrum Health and other nearby offices, so we already have a customer base here,” Boersma adds. “We wanted to be right out on Michigan St. because we had an opportunity to do the drive-through here.”
The shop promotes the drive-through as a convenient way customers can pick up food and beverage orders called in ahead.
The $450,000 buildout includes plenty of comfy seating in wingback chairs, an Internet bar overlooking the street, wireless Internet access, and outside areas on the streetside front porch and second level rear deck, both of which will be open this spring.
Source: Tim Boersma, It’s A Grind Coffee House
Photo by Brian Kelly
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Deborah Johnson Wood is the development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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