Foxtail Coffee Co. is continuing its West Michigan expansion with plans for two more locations in Grand Rapids’ Eastown neighborhood and suburban Byron Center over the next six months.
The Florida-based coffee roaster moved into Michigan this year under a franchise deal with the Baton Collective, the family office for Cheri DeVos Ehmann.
So far this year, the Baton Collective has opened Foxtail locations in Ada and Holland. Sam Nichols, director of business operations at the Baton Collective, said the coffee shops have resonated well with their respective communities.
Nichols told Crain’s Grand Rapids Business, a sibling publication of Crain Currency, that the Baton Collective anticipates a late November opening for a Foxtail Coffee shop at a shopping center 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 the Baton Collective’s plans to renovate a building 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.
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.
The Baton Collective will finalize its plans for the space in the coming weeks, with the goal of starting construction before the end of December.
Caledonia-based First Companies Inc. will lead the construction project.
Foxtail Coffee, founded in Winter Park, Florida, in 2016, “bridges the gap between a quick-service offering and an independent coffee shop,” said 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 the Baton Collective “had a great experience” at one of the Florida locations and connected with the chain’s owner. The conversation ultimately led to the Baton Collective’s 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.