Kilian Pauls and his father Reggie Wessel want to help transform Plymouth’s Old Village neighborhood. They hope their new coffee shop will be one step forward in that direction.
The duo opened Meridian Coffee Co., at 636 Starkweather in November, bringing a full-fledged coffee shop to the business district on the north end of Plymouth. It’s something, Wessel said, that’s badly needed in that part of town.
“We really needed this in Old Village,” he said. “Old Village is a really, really tight-knit community.”
Opening in the space that was formerly the Detroit Vape Shop — the family operated that business before they decided to change industries — the shop gives off a post-industrial feel, a cozy look for a shop nestled in some old buildings.
It’s something Wessel said he’s wanted to do for a long time.
“We’ve both been coffee people for years. And I just kept approaching my son like, ‘Hey dude, let’s open a coffee shop,'” he said. “Every month, I’d be like, ‘Let’s do it.'”
They serve all the drinks one would expect in a traditional, independent coffee shop, including lattes, cappuccinos, tea and regular brewed coffee. Seasonal specials are also on the menu, including holiday drinks right now. Meridian Coffee Co. gets its beans locally before roasting them themselves offsite, though they hope to eventually move that operation to the building in the future.
Some light food is offered, including baked goods from Detroit-based Cannelle Pastry.
It’s become a destination for those who live nearby or pass through the neighborhood. Wessel said he’s seen plenty of customers stop by multiple times a week to grab a cup of coffee to go or to sit and relax in the café.
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The family has pured plenty of love into the space, using top-notch materials to create that comfortable atmosphere. It’s enough, Wessel said, that some people have spent lots of time enjoying it while doing their jobs.
“Here, we have people who sit in here for four hours and work. And it’s wonderful,” Wessel said. “It’s aesthetically pleasing. We cut no corners.”
The shop is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
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Contact reporter David Veselenak at [email protected] or 734-678-6728. Follow him on Twitter @davidveselenak.
