Mundos Roasting & Co. is opening a new coffee shop on West Front Street next spring – one of three new coffee shops opening in Traverse City amid a series of restaurant and retail openings, closings and moves across the region.
Dan Clark is aiming for an opening in May for Western worlds, its third location in Mundos after the location on Boon Street in Traverse City and the location on North Saint Joseph Street in Suttons Bay. The 1,300-square-foot coffee shop will be located in a new building next to Ace Hardware on West Front Street on Kids Creek (pictured). Clark says the store will be smaller than the other two locations, but will have an airy interior with 15-foot ceilings and lots of natural light, quick “in and out” service, and additional outdoor seating.
“There will be some seating inside, but plenty of standing bars and tables, like in an Italian café,” says Clark. “One of the coolest things about it is that there will be several different deck levels down on Kids Creek to hang out there and in front of the building.” Mundos West will have the same coffee offerings as the other two stores, but will have their own unique menu, according to Clark. He says he’s been looking for a downtown location since the company’s inception but didn’t want to be on the main Front Street blocks.
“The outskirts are more like our vibe,” he says. “Of course I love the stream and the beauty of this area. It feels like being in nature and in the city at the same time. And I love the convenience of being close to Munson and the Slabtown neighborhood. ”Mundos West is one of several companies that are re-energizing West Front Street, alongside the recent reopening of Lil Bo under new ownership, new neighborhood restaurant and brewery Loco Boys Brewing Company aims to open in spring 2022 in the former Impres Salon spa building, while the bakery and restaurant Modern bird slated to open next to Mary’s Kitchen Port in late January or early February.
Two more coffee shop locations are also coming to Traverse City. MaryAnne MacIntosh plans to open a new one on December 7th Biggby Coffee BCubed Location near Menards at Chums Corner. MacIntosh says Traverse Connect and the Traverse City Pit Spitters will be in attendance to commemorate the launch, with a tape cut scheduled for 9 a.m. BCubed is a drive-thru and walk-up café with no indoor seating; the shops should fit into small packages and promote fast service. MacIntosh also received approval from the Garfield Township Planning Commission earlier this month to open a second Biggby Coffee BCubed location at the Cherryland Center next to Burger King. An opening date for this location has not yet been set.
Other openings, closings and moves …
Yoga returns to East Front Street in downtown Traverse City while Dharamsala TC prepares to open a second studio (the first located on Robinwood Court) at 317B and 319 East Front Streets. One of those rooms that were previously housed Giche Gumee Companythat has closed its doors. Co-founder Kay Epple says Dharamsala at the front, as the downtown location is called, will have two connected studio rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies overlooking the Boardman River and Grand Traverse Bay. The women-run studio focuses on “Mindfulness and Healthy Living” through a variety of courses offered to all ages and abilities. The inner city location is currently being renovated before a planned opening at the end of January. “We love where we are (in Robinwood Court) and we have a great community there, so we didn’t want to lose this base, but we’ve heard from so many people how convenient it would be to be downtown,” says Epple of the decision to open a second studio.
After six years in business, Sweet tart closes its doors at 445 East Front Street at the end of the year. Owner Sarah Steele says the impending expiration of her lease and a desire to take a break and spend more time with the family have caused her to close her doors. Steele says she “goes out with a bang” and has chocolates, candies, and other goodies for sale during the holidays. The last day customers can place pre-orders is December 24th; the last day of the store opening is December 27th. Steele says she plans to do occasional pop-ups in 2022, such as selling goodies for Valentine’s Day (pop-ups are advertised on social media).
Several other changes are underway in downtown Traverse City. My Secret Stash owner Karen Hilt has taken over the former Bookie Joint Space in 124 South Union and is expanding the My Secret Stash plant selection into the new store called I’m Planty AF. In the currently renovated store, exotic exotic species that are difficult to find as well as everyday houseplants from the collections of Hilt and her business partner Garrett Weslock are presented. “We’ll have a wide variety of common and unusual houseplants, with a fantastic grouping of arum plants, anthuriums, tillandsias, cacti, succulents, and more,” says Hilt, noting that the duo use a private greenhouse downtown to grow plants grow and multiply. The partners are aiming for an opening on December 4th and plan to further improve the room in winter and spring in order to offer a floor and terrarium bar, a pot service, a “plant hospital” as well as plant-related living accents and accessories, says Hilt.
Around the corner in the Speicherstadt, The workshop brewery brought in Archie’s food truck – previously stationed at The Coin Slot – to take over the kitchen of the brewery. Archie’s menu includes a variety of burgers and side dishes, including grains pretzels, home-smoked chicken wings, and mac-and-cheese. Several local pubs are also beautifying their field service areas in the city center. Brady’s bar has a new terrace area at the back, with owner Nolen Sleder announcing that the shop has cleaned up the parking lot and created a nice space for winter events. She adds: “Hopefully we will be open non-stop on certain days of the week during the summer.” Traverse City Whiskey Company and Silver spruce brewery are both in the process of renovating their outdoor patios.
A new mozzarella and grocery store has opened its doors in Oleson’s Plaza East on Hammond Road. Buzzelli Foods specializes in the production of New York style mozzarella in balls, marinated knots and burrata, as well as sandwiches and salads to take away, Italian foods, specialties and kitchen gifts. The shop is open Tuesday to Friday (closed Saturday to Monday) from 7.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m.
After all, two area stores are new owners. After three decades of family ownership, Diane Eagle has retired and taken over the reins Ebb Tide resale shop in Logan’s Landing to Beth Yoder. The consignment warehouse itself remains in place and offers a wide range of clothing, furniture, books, housewares and other items. In Kingsley, Karla Blackmer and Stephanie Bugai are closed Kingsley Flowers & Gifts at 104 North Brownson Avenue and turned the room over to Kait Olds, who acted as Olds flowers & design. Olds built and sold freshly cut flowers in Kingsley and will continue to do so in their new store, which also offers monthly workshops, flower subscriptions and arrangements for weddings and events. Olds leases the premises from Blackmer, who continues to own the building with her husband.
Photo credit: Mundos Roasting & Co.
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