Heartside serves coffee with a personal touch
If the energy of a neighborhood is measured by the cup, Heartside is overflowing with stand-alone, locally owned coffee shops. GO…
If the energy of a neighborhood is measured by the cup, Heartside is overflowing with stand-alone, locally owned coffee shops. GO HEARTSIDE met with three java purveyors from different corners of the district.
Michi Farias, daughter of PaLatté owners Maria and Frederico Farias, has been working with and managing alongside her mother at the shop for the past 11 years.
Michi Farias not only manages PaLatté; she’s also an artist from a family of artists. The Farias’ creative impulses inspired them to open the shop back in 2013.
“There weren’t a lot of art galleries at this sort of level accepting new, emerging artists,” Michi said. “So we wanted to make a place that has a lot of walk-in appeal.” The hope for the shop was and continues to be that because of the homeliness of everyday coffee, customers might also have an “everyday relationship with the art as well,” Michi said.
PaLatté’s passion for art is on display: Its walls are filled from top to bottom with “an explosive amount of art,” Michi said. Artwork for sale includes Michi’s original pieces dispersed throughout the shop.
PaLatté’s coffee drinks have their own visual appeal. For lovers of sweet coffees, Michi recommends guests to try out the shop’s Pink Drink, a white mocha with a pink raspberry-vanilla cold foam or the Purple Rain, a lavender honey latte that Michi suggests adding cinnamon to. A special coffee unique to PaLatté is the Goth Latte, an activated charcoal and vanilla latte that tastes a bit like marshmallow.
To check out Michi’s art along with other local artists and to try out a Pink Drink, a Purple Rain or a Goth Latte, visit PaLatté at 150 Fulton St. E from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, or from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
What really sets The Lantern apart and adds to Heartside’s charm and warmth is the physical environment of the shop as well as the special charm Lantern’s team brings to the table, according to Bailey. The shop’s layout featuring “the open brick, the multi-level, [and] the warm lighting” create an experience for guests that they won’t find anywhere else, Bailey said.
He continues that the cherry on top of the unique and cozy atmosphere that makes Lantern, Lantern, is that those that work there “love to goof around — we don’t take ourselves so seriously.” Not only can you expect a comfortable ambience, but you can also expect friendly faces behind the counter.
Lantern was opened in April 2013 by Steve Wiltjer, and today it’s co-owned by Wiltjer and Jonathan Bailey, who has worked at the shop since 2016.
The Lantern often takes its show on the road to cater events at Van Andel Arena as well as GLC Live at 20 Monroe. The shop’s most recent catering event was at Van Andel for Cage the Elephant and Young the Giant on August 16 — Bailey even had the chance to meet both bands and spent a chunk of time with members of Young the Giant chatting about coffee. In addition to all your café favorites, the shop produces its own syrups, oat milk, almond milk and chai. (The vanilla syrup is a customer favorite.)
Bailey travels internationally to source “really high-quality coffee.” In addition, “You have better teas than anyone else,” a regular customer chimed in — the shop offers more than 10 varieties.
The Lantern will soon be releasing a “‘Not So’ Secret Menu” of special drinks that include the Heartside Handshake, Lavender Latte, Spronic, Au Naturale and the Trifecta.
Experience it all at 100 Commerce Ave SW from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Sunday. Bailey suggests checking Lantern out on a Friday, when staff is encouraged to wear jerseys for what he calls “Jersey Friday.”
Squibb at Downtown Market has been open for three years, and in that time it has cultivated a space that brings “local neighborhood charm to the downtown area,” Mallory Squibb told GO HEARTSIDE. “Being a part of the neighborhoods we are in has been such a rewarding experience,” Mallory continues.
The father-daughter team of Dennis and Mallory Squibb opened their first namesake coffee shop eight years ago on Wealthy Street. Since then, the brand has expanded to multiple locations — including the Grand Rapids Downtown Market.
The location at Downtown Market provides a special space to sit and relax within the hustle and bustle of the Market — a comforting annex for customers to have a sip of home.
Mallory suggested visitors try a drink from the seasonal specials menu. “We spend a lot of time perfecting these recipes and making sure the selection is balanced,” she said. Even out of season, she added, there’s a good chance Squibb can still make you a favorite special; the café keeps ingredients in reserve for “regulars who become especially fond of a certain drink.”
To check out the latest and greatest, Squibb at Downtown Market is located at 435 Ionia Ave. SW, and is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
