GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Has Heart, the veteran-owned coffee shop that serves customers at Veterans Memorial Park downtown, is getting ready to open a second Grand Rapids cafe on the city’s southeast side.
Has Heart is moving into HUB 07 at 1534 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, near Ramona Street SE. The Boston Square building is run by the nonprofit Amplify GR, which is partnering on the project, and the company is aiming for a January opening.
Plans call for a full coffee bar plus shelves of art and products created by veterans, carrying over the mix of coffee and veteran storytelling the downtown cafe has offered since it opened in 2023. That first location just passed its third anniversary on Veterans Day.
The Boston Square cafe is also meant as a trial. Through its Has Heart Ventures arm, the company will use the site to study daily operations, training and what support future owners would need, with a long-range goal of letting veterans and military spouses run Has Heart cafes in their own neighborhoods. Co-founder Michael Hyacinthe, a Navy Seabee veteran, is leading the effort, and the company said veterans from around the country have already asked about opening locations.
Has Heart takes over the coffee space that Last Mile Cafe used inside HUB 07. Last Mile closed its original Hall Street SE shop in July and later ended its service at the community center as well.
HUB 07 is home to 14 organizations that offer health care, early childhood programs, coworking space and community events as part of the Boston Square Together effort. Has Heart also pours free coffee for veterans, a perk paid for through community donations.
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