Mighty Good Coffee takes over neighboring storefront on North Main Street in Ann Arbor
Angela Cesere | AnnArbor.com
With customers filtering in to the 2,200-square-foot space at 217 N. Main St. to hang out, do work and have meetings, Myers said, seating was getting pretty cramped.
His solution: Expansion.
Myers recently took over the neighboring 1,400-square-foot space at 219 N. Main — which was vacated by Fitzpatrick Structural Engineering months ago — and knocked down the wall to connect the spaces and allow for additional seating.
Angela Cesere | AnnArbor.com
Myers started roasting under the Mighty Good name six years ago and then opened his first cafe in a portion of the Workantile space in downtown Ann Arbor. He then consolidated the cafe and roasting operation, which was located on Huronview Boulevard, into the North Main Street space.
With the most recent expansion, Myers said, it’s definitely “a little more comfortable” to come and spend time at the cafe.
The extra space also gives him room to host more events and classes, such as his brew methods class or dessert pairing class. There is also a pop-up art show hosted by Community High students planned for May 3.
“I’d love to do some poetry readings here,” Myers said. “I have teenage kids and you know, it’d be great for people to have a place that’s community based, where we can hold a small event, give people a voice and have some fun.”
Aside from the cafe business, Myers said, his wholesale business has seen steady growth as well, with many area restaurants, cafes and grocery stores carrying Mighty Good coffee.
“People we sell to are selling more of it,” he said. “I think we’re pretty well established as a brand in Ann Arbor, and I think we do well in Bloomfield Hills and Royal Oak, and some of the specialty stores all the way up to Grosse Pointe.”
Myers, who is also on the board of Think Local First of Washtenaw County, said the ‘buy local’ movement is important to his operations.
“I’d rather go into a store and see 10 local coffee companies from Michigan on the shelves than someone from California,” he said. “I’m on very friendly terms with everybody in (the coffee business) in Ann Arbor.”
And although Myers has his hands full with his cafe, roasting, classes and events, he’s not ruling out another, future expansion.
“This is keeping us really busy, but obviously we’re looking at a second potential location in Ann Arbor at some point,” he said.
He added: “I definitely want to grow, and I want to grow responsibly and carefully. I’m not in a hurry.”
Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.
Comments
Denise Heberle
Sat, Apr 28, 2012 : 12:48 p.m.
You GO David!!! (And your spectacular wife Nic!) What a lot of work. When we see that red truck tooling around town, we know big things are (oh no. here it comes...) brewing.
divagheen
Fri, Apr 27, 2012 : 3:13 a.m.
I would like this business more if they did not use chocolate milk to make a mocha latte. What about those of us who do not drink milk, but prefer soy?
mightygood
Fri, Apr 27, 2012 : 10:59 a.m.
Thanks for the comment. We do offer organic soy in all our drinks except the cocoa latte.
Jojo B
Fri, Apr 27, 2012 : 3:39 a.m.
They don't offer a soy milk option? I find that rather surprising. Definitely worth making a suggestion. In an uppity town like ours, this is not an unreasonable request!
Tru2Blu76
Thu, Apr 26, 2012 : 10:03 p.m.
How do their prices compare with, say, Starbucks - or any of the other coffee purveyors? One of the True Great Life Discoveries I made when I moved to Ann Arbor was: I could buy REAL coffee and no longer had to depend on buying national brands from mega-companies that had been selling faux coffee to the untutored masses for a century. Even back in the early 70s, INSTANT coffee was still the staple in American households. Originally, I bought only from Kitchen Port which store was located on the upper floor of the Kerrytown building. Buying real beans from Africa and SE Asia, grinding them to make my OWN blends, taught me what the word "amazing" meant. So yeah, I'm open to new (relatively affordable) coffee from any supplier who knows what to do with real coffee beans from the Eastern Hemisphere.
Tru2Blu76
Fri, Apr 27, 2012 : 3:17 p.m.
@Epengar and rusty shackelford: thanks! I appreciate that you shared your knowledge. :-)
rusty shackelford
Fri, Apr 27, 2012 : 11:25 a.m.
Their prices are slightly more than Starbucks but not as much as truly "gourmet" roasters like Zingerman's, Intelligentsia, or 49th Parallel. I think at the shop a small (pot-brewed) coffee is $2 versus like $1.70 at Starbucks. They also have pour over options for more money. Their beans are in the $16-$18 range, again, just a few bucks more than Starbucks but so much better. Try their Papua New Guinea--sweet and dark without the ashy taste a lot of darker roasts can take on.
Epengar
Thu, Apr 26, 2012 : 11:11 p.m.
Here's their website, it was also linked in the story: http://www.mightygoodcoffee.com/ The café page gives the prices for brewed coffee. They do their own roasting (and actually started as a roasting business before they opened the café), and sell the beans online, so check their "Get Mighty" page.
Liz
Thu, Apr 26, 2012 : 9:26 p.m.
Hurray when local businesses do well, and even better when they are owned by good people!
Mary Bilyeu
Thu, Apr 26, 2012 : 8:52 p.m.
MGC is a great place - what fabulous plans!
Cedric
Thu, Apr 26, 2012 : 8:46 p.m.
Way to go, David!
ArgoC
Thu, Apr 26, 2012 : 7:59 p.m.
This is great to hear. It's a nice business, with nice owners, and local venues for events are something we need more of.
sparky
Thu, Apr 26, 2012 : 8:25 p.m.
I agree.