Cailin Kelly and her fellow co-founders of Creston Brewery are turning the idea of a coffee shop that serves beer and wine on its head by turning their brewery into a coffee shop during the morning and daytime hours.
Commuters on their way to work or remote workers looking for a comfortable third office can settle into one of the tables or booths in the taproom and enjoy their favorite coffee drink from Boop de Boom Coffee.
Kelly opened Creston Brewery in August 2016 alongside her husband Vincent Lambert, and another couple, Scott Schultz and Molly Bouwsma-Schultz. The foursome have seen their brewery flourish in the Creston neighborhood since then; Kelly said the coffee shop was a logical next step.
While other neighborhoods in Grand Rapids have a plethora of coffee shops lining their retail corridors, a coffee shop has been surprisingly absent from the Creston neighborhood.
Initially, Kelly planned to open the coffee shop in its own space, but soon it became clear the taproom was a perfect location for the venture.
“Since we already had this beautiful space, we decided to do it here and create this collaborative, open-space environment,” Kelly said. She noted the concept is more familiar on the country’s West Coast, where taprooms are trying to serve a variety of people in their spaces.
Boop de Boom uses The Sparrows coffee, and Kelly said Lori Slager-Wenzel, owner of The Sparrows, has been sharing advice since the inception of the project.
You’ll also find pastries from Kind Crumbs and bagels from Herman’s Boy. The coffee shop serves Suu Kuu sparkling water — a CBD and mineral-infused water — and Spirit Tea.
While the Creston neighborhood isn’t quite booming like some of Grand Rapids’ other neighborhoods, Kelly is hopeful development will drive more growth in the area.
“We have big dreams,” she said. “We would love to see the space filled constantly with people working, and artists, community activists and different types of people coming together. We envision having different events here where we can sit down with commissioners or get to know your local police officer. All four of us are community-minded, and we’ve been community activists, so I guess that is our focus, bringing people together in a supportive, loving atmosphere.”
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