Detroit Fleat owners plan new cafe, bar in Oak Park's Berkley Coffee spot
(Photo: Mother Handsome)
OAK PARK, Mich. (FOX 2) - Months after Berkley Coffee and Oak Park Dry closed, a new coffee shop and event space is moving in.
Cafe and bar Mother Handsome, a sister location to Ferndale's Detroit Fleat, is currently prepping the space on 11 Mile in Oak Park for a summer opening.
Though it will be a new business, the owner of Berkley Coffee will continue to roast beans for Mother Handsome.
"Keeping the previous owner on to roast for us means that our whole bean offerings will still be quality-focused and thoughtfully produced," Mother Handsome co-owner Brooke Zadorsky said. "He makes a consistently amazing product that highlights his passion for roasting."
Mother Handsome will use those beans to make what Zadorsky describes as "a much more approachable menu." Berkley Coffee had an extensive menu that could be considered intimidating for someone without knowledge of coffee. The new menu will also include food, though that is still being worked out.
Coffee shop opening in Ypsilanti's Cultivate Coffee & Tap House space
Two years after Ypsilanti's Cultivate Coffee & Tap House's sudden closure, Ann Arbor's Vertex Coffee Roasters is planning to open a new location in the space.
In addition to the coffee shop, Mother Handsome will have a lounge area with a full bar and an event space. Zadorsky said the business will have room for everything from birthday parties, fundraisers, luncheons, bridal and baby showers, and more.
"We have found that there is a need for more event spaces that can cater to both small and large groups," she said.
Zadorsky said they chose the spot because co-owner Aaron Tye is a lifelong resident of Berkley, which is right across the street from the building, making it a spot that they have close ties to.
"Oak Park has done an outstanding job with their initiative to welcome new restaurants, bars and breweries to the community," she said.
Mother Handsome will be in the same building as Dog and Pony Show Brewing and a few doors down from Oak Park Social. Other gathering spaces on Eleven Mile, not far from the cafe, include Unexpected Cradt Brewing Co. and the newly opened Oak Parker restaurant.
"We are excited to be a part of this growth along the Eleven Mile strip and look forward to what’s next for the area," Zadorsky said.
The name is also rooted in the area. Mother Handsome, whose real name was Mary Ann Chappell, owned a tavern on what would later become Woodward Avenue in the 1800s.
"Her tavern was a widely known stopping point for travelers who had heard ‘the liquor was better and so was the food,’" Zadorsky said. "Although she was called "Mother Handsome" because she was very homely, her hospitality was legendary and inspired us to continue her legacy."
Mother Handsome is aiming to open in early June, though that date is dependent on when the city approves the business's liquor license.
Find Mother Handsome at 14661 W. 11 Mile Rd.