Alexander Alusheff

Lansing State Journal

DEWITT – Justin Hartig is taking a craft-brewing approach to his coffee shop in downtown DeWitt.

The Crafted Bean Coffee Co., at 116 N. Bridge St. next to Sweetie-licious, will offer an array of coffee cocktails when it opens in December.

Not alcoholic cocktails, but creative blends of coffee mixed with sweet and savory ingredients, Hartig said. The Bliss cocktail, for instance, infuses honey and smoked oak chips into a light roast coffee. He's keeping the other four cocktail recipes under wraps for now. Customers will also be able to choose the coffee bean they want and it will be ground and brewed in front of them.

“I love the pub scene,” said Hartig, 31. “What’s being done there is artful. I want to offer that atmosphere without the alcohol. There’s a craft to coffee and what you can do with it.”

Hartig plans to add a "coffee garden," a patio behind the building (and a play off of beer garden).

The Crafted Bean is going for a 1950’s vibe. Hartig plans to cover the tile floor with epoxy-sealed vinyl records. A Pop Art-esque mural is painted on the exposed brick and plaster. Alongside other figures is Johnny Cash depicted in a famous pose, but holding a cup of coffee instead of flipping the bird. The centerpiece of the mural is a quote from Cash describing paradise: “This morning, with her, having coffee.”

“People enjoy the 1950’s,” Hartig said. “It was a wholesome good time, but people also refer to it as a rebel phase.”

The building where the coffee shop is going in was formerly a PNC Bank location. Hartig is keeping the bank vault and turning it into a retail space to sell products such as Lucky Duck Coffee, roasted in Haslett, and Lansing's Blue Owl Coffee. The interior will be decorated with pictures of famous bank robbers.

Hartig also plans on adding a small stage for live performances and a record exchange with a take-one-leave-one policy. Local artwork will be featured on the walls for customers to buy.

“This will be a cool place to hang out,” Hartig said. “It’s edgy, but welcoming to anyone.”

Hartig is a strength and conditioning coach who owns the Human Performance Institute on Bridge Street about a block north of the shop. He also owns the building down the street that houses the Dewitt Area Chamber of Commerce and a real estate office.

He first got the idea to open a coffee shop from athletes he trained at work. Many asked him if there was a place nearby that served good coffee. There weren’t many options in the area, so Hartig decided to open a coffee shop himself.

“It’s a need in this town,” he said. “It just got my wheels turning. It’s an important piece to growing this community.”

Dan Coss, DeWitt's city administrator, said The Crafted Bean is "the perfect fit for downtown."

"A craft coffee shop is something that adds variety and can bring a different demographic to downtown," he said.

Hartig wants to make his shop a destination, adding to the dynamic created by places like the wine bar and restaurant Bridge Street Social, which opened down the street in April. He also believes it will complement Looking Glass Brewing Co. planned for the former Mount Hope Church across the street.

"I think it's a needed addition to DeWitt," said Justin King, owner of Bridge Street Social. "He's trying to do new and progressive things. I think DeWitt is going to embrace it, and people will embrace DeWitt as a destination."

Alexander Alusheff is a reporter at the Lansing State Journal. Contact him at (517) 388-5973 or aalusheff@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexalusheff.