Ashe Supply Co. Quietly Opens Second Cafe in Rivertown Warehouse District

Downtown Detroit’s coffee shop and lifestyle brand Ashe Supply Co. has quietly expanded to the Rivertown Warehouse District. The company’s second outpost opened its doors today at 225 Jos Campau next door to Atwater Brewery. Ashe Supply Co.’s owner AJ Nichols confirmed the opening to Eater today, noting that the location is still building up towards a more official grand opening.

This is the first major expansion for Ashe Supply Co. The original cafe debuted on Broadway in the M@dison Building in early 2016 but Nichols says that he and business partner Mike Kennedy had always planned on opening more than one location in the city. “Our goal with our shops is to create a third place for people and we wanted to put ourselves directly into a community without a coffee shop,” he says. “Our biggest goal is to work out and feel what the community wants.”

The space has been occupied by several bars over the years including Riverplace Bar & Grill. Nichols says he and his partner wanted to bring more of that neighborhood watering hole atmosphere to their cafe. Renovations of the building preserved the long black bar and it’s been kept mostly free of equipment and lined with stools. “It’s like you’re hanging out with your barista at the bar,” he says.

Brenna Houck

The rest of the space is relatively light and open with big high top and low top tables with blue metal chairs. There’s also a small retail area with brewing equipment and other items for sale. Overall the cafe seats around 35 patrons with room for more as needed.

Nichols says the cafe is outfitted with better equipment than Ashe’s original location for improved consistency. Ashe is also introducing nitro coffee to its lineup of drinks in Rivertown. It should be on tap within the next week or so.

Customers can find the essentials at the shop including three-to-five different origins of coffee beans roasted in-house and brewed using a variety of methods such as pourovers, Chemex, and siphon brewing. Espresso drinks as well as teas from Birmingham-based Eli Tea are also available alongside baked goods from Avalon International Breads, Sister Pie, and Detroit Institute of Bagels.

As for future expansions, Nichols says that they’re not actively looking for new spaces at this time. Instead the company plans to focus on maintaining its two shops and growing its team, which includes six baristas.

Courtesy of AJ Nichols

Ashe Supply Co.’s new cafe is located at 225 Jos Campau; the shop opens at 7 a.m. (closing hours aren’t currently set).

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