Foxtail Coffee Co. is continuing its West Michigan expansion with plans for two more locations in Grand Rapids’ Eastown neighborhood and in Byron Center over the next six months.
The Florida-based coffee roaster moved into the Michigan market earlier this year under a franchise deal with Baton Collective, the family office for Cheri DeVos Ehmann.
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So far this year, Baton Collective has opened Foxtail locations in Ada and Holland. Sam Nichols, director of business operations at Baton Collective, said the coffee shops have resonated well with their respective communities.
“We’ve really hit the ground running,” he said. “We found that (Foxtail Coffee shops are) places where people want to gather, which was really the purpose: to make a coffee shop where the community can gather and spend time together and have good conversations.”
Now, the franchise is expanding again with two more West Michigan locations.
Nichols told Crain’s Grand Rapids Business that Baton Collective anticipates a late November opening for a Foxtail Coffee shop at a shopping center at 325 84th St. SW in Byron Center, directly across from Tanger Outlets.
The 1,500-square-foot coffee shop will seat 32 guests and serve fresh brewed coffee drinks, tea, breakfast and lunch sandwiches, baked goods and gelato.
On Wednesday, the Grand Rapids Historic Preservation Commission approved Baton Collective’s plans to renovate 1200 Wealthy St. SE, which was formerly occupied by a Little Caesars takeout pizza shop. At its December meeting, the commission will take up plans to install an exterior sign on the building.
The 1,900-square-foot building was built in 1925 as a Standard gas station, according to planning documents, and is part of the Wealthy Theater Historic District in Eastown.
Initial plans call for a coffee shop with two patios seating guests outdoors and space for lawn games on the approximately quarter-acre lot at the corner of Wealthy Street and Fuller Avenue SE.
“We’re going to want to activate that space as much as possible (and) make it a community hub for people,” Nichols said. “We’re really excited about the space and the historic nature of the space, and being able to maintain some of that moving forward.”
Filings with the city show space for approximately 30 guests indoors and 40 outdoors, with garage doors opening the Wealthy Street side of the coffee shop during warmer months.
The building’s look and feel will be retained, as well as its current footprint. The team plans to update fixtures and repair the facility as needed to make the space reflect the Foxtail brand.
“We’re working with the (Historic Preservation Commission) to make sure that we maintain the character of that space,” Nichols said. “It’s a cute spot. It’s got kind of a retro look to it that we will lean into a little bit.”
Nichols anticipates opening the Wealthy Street coffee shop in March or April 2025.
Baton Collective will finalize its plans for the space in the coming weeks, with the goal of kicking off construction before the end of December.
Caledonia-based First Companies Inc. will lead the construction project.
Founded in Winter Park, Fla. in 2016, Foxtail Coffee Co. “bridges the gap between a quick-service offering and an independent coffee shop,” according to its founder Alex Tchekmeian.
The brand, which offers seasonal and traditional coffee from in-house roasted beans, currently operates more than 60 shops in Florida, as well as in Nevada and Georgia.
In a prior interview, Nichols told Crain’s Grand Rapids Business that a representative for Baton Collective “had a great experience” at one of the Florida locations and connected with the chain’s owner. The conversation ultimately led to Baton Collective bringing the franchise into Michigan for the first time.
Foxtail Coffee opened in Ada Village in May, followed by the Holland location, which debuted in early August.
After opening its Byron Center and Wealthy Street locations, Baton Collective intends to continue its expansion and open more locations in the next year.
“We have a few different units that we’ll bring online in early to mid 2025,” Nichols said. “We’re really excited about all of the locations that we’re pursuing. The one thing they have in common is that they are spaces that can really be community hubs, and spaces that are going to be unique and comfortable spaces for people to spend time.”
While Nichols declined to disclose where the coffee shops will be located, he noted that Baton Collective is currently focusing its expansion on West Michigan.
“I love going into our coffee shops and seeing them full,” Nichols said. “When we build these spaces, we don’t build them for them to sit empty, or for people to just grab a coffee and go, although we do love those customers as well. We want them to be spaces that get used and enjoyed. I think that that is resonating with the communities that we’re in, and we look to continue that into the future.”
More from Crain’s Grand Rapids Business:
Portland Products acquires Walker-based metal stamper
Grand Rapids airport adds Bell’s Brewery-branded taproom
Gun Lake Tribe’s 1,800-acre redevelopment of U.S. 131 corridor begins to take shape
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