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After more than 5 years of planning, fundraising, and envisioning opening the HAS HEART Coffee Shop, the historic stone building is beginning to take shape. The base of the coffee bar is being built-out inside, and the drainage and underground systems are being installed for the rear patio.
For the past 10+ years, we’ve only had 1-month pop-up shops and exhibits to share our mission, showcase the HERO[series] projects and VOICES projects, and generate revenue to fund the next year’s project. We’ve relied on a small team of volunteers and have kept our liabilities and expenses to a minimum.
More than 12 years after our founders met over a cup of coffee, and despite continuous construction delays, we’re now around 4-6 weeks away from serving our own coffee (via Madcap Coffee Co.) within a historic building on the grounds of Veterans Memorial Park in downtown Grand Rapids, MI.
It was an unnerving feeling opening the back door and seeing the gaping hole in the ground. The site work crew had to dig two large holes to fit giant concrete filtration cylinders that will enable water to drain from the finished outdoor patio down into the water table below ground.
The inside hasn’t been looking much better! If it looks like a bigger mess than it was before in our previous reno update post, that’s because it is. The coffee shop equipment (refrigerators, ice makers, freezers, sinks, and more) has all arrived. Any open floor space has become a wood workshop as the millwork begins to build out the coffee bar.
The black fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) board added below the tile backsplash and behind the cabinets will help keep the structure of the build-out protected and sanitary. Pretty soon, the cabinets, countertops, and equipment behind the bar will be installed, which will start to make the space really come together and look like the coffee shop it soon will become.
While it’s been disappointing not to meet our Memorial Day or July 4th holiday goals to be open, we understand the importance of doing the job well. We appreciate the many hands and generous partners who have gotten HAS HEART this far, and we can’t wait to begin serving the community soon.
While there is still plenty more work to be done, none of this would be possible without the help of several partners, organizations, foundations, and individual contributors, including:
Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation
Downtown Development Authority
Grand Rapids Community Foundation
Pfeiffer-Lincoln Foundation
Michigan Economic Development Corporation
Michigan Arts & Culture Council
Anonymous Donor
For more updates, be sure to follow HAS HEART on Instagram and Facebook, sign-up for our newsletter, and bookmark the Coffee Shop page for more info over the coming months.
JUNE 14, 2023
