A Black- and woman-owned Detroit coffee shop known for its heavy focus on community, culture, and connecting, is shuttering two locations and consolidating into a third, partnering with another business and bringing on restaurant operators.
Rosa coffee shops, founded by Charity Dean, an attorney and entrepreneur, is combining the operations of two of its locations. Dean announced that Rosa Watersquare, a cafe and market at the Residences at Water Square downtown, the 25-story glass luxury apartment building on the former site of Joe Louis Arena, is closing. Detroit Rosa, known as “Grandma’s House,” its Grand River location in Grandmont Rosedale Park, will also close. Operations of both businesses at those locations end on June 20. On Wayne State’s Campus, Dean’s Rosa Campus Cafe inside Wayne State’s campus bookstore will remain open.
Both locations will combine and move into another local business, Miss Eva’s Detroit, a speakeasy at 19566 Grand River. Jay Williams opened Miss Eva as a tribute to his beloved grandmother, Eva Franklin. At Miss Eva’s, according to its website, its cocktails tell a story, and a selection of Black-owned and Detroit-based spirits, beers and wines are on its menu.
“Our cocktails are a celebration of Black culture and its rich history, drawing inspiration from the West African plants and flavors that led to the foundation of American cuisine,” its website says.
Housing both businesses, the place will become Rosa’s with daytime coffee and Miss Eva’s continuing as a speakeasy and lounge.
“Detroit’s small business community is strongest when we find ways to work together,” said Williams in the news release. “Our space sits largely unused during the day, while Rosa has built an incredible community around coffee, connection, and culture. This collaboration allows both brands to do what they do best while creating a destination that serves people from morning to night. We saw an opportunity to support a respected Detroit business, maximize an existing neighborhood asset, and demonstrate what is possible when entrepreneurs choose partnership over competition.”
The inspiration behind Dean’s signature coffee shops and brand, Rosa, is in honor of her great-grandmother, Rosa Malone. Commonly referred to as “Grandma’s House,” Detroit Rosa in Grandmont Rosedale opened in 2022. According to Dean, Malone was one of the first Black homeowners in Rosedale Park. Malone lived there for nearly 46 years.
At Water Square, Dean’s café and market occupied a spot in the lower-level atrium at the skyscraper that overlooks the Detroit River and Detroit’s RiverWalk.
Over its four years, the Rosa brand has served thousands of customers and hosted many events.
“Like many small businesses, Rosa has continued to navigate rising costs, labor challenges, and changing consumer habits, and now Rosa is embracing a model built on collaboration, operational excellence, and strategic focus,” according to a news release.
Dean, who is also an attorney and the president and CEO of the Michigan Black Business Alliance, told the Free Press she is bringing on two restaurant and hospitality operators. Kyle Kirkland and Kenny Valentino, partners at Bloom in Southfield, are joining Rosa’s leadership team. Valentino is also an owner and partner of 78 Social and Chandelier in Detroit, and Kirkland is a partner/owner of BLVD in Southfield.
“They’re food entrepreneurs, and they have multiple businesses, and they are bringing their food operations space to Rosa so that we can actually be sustainable,” Dean said.
These Rosa operational and collaborative moves mean building a stronger future for the brand.
“We’ve built a brand that people trust and a community that people want to be part of,” Dean said. “As we look toward the future, it became clear that bringing experienced restaurant operators into the business was the right next step.”
Dean is moving forward with a growth strategy for Rosa’s, focusing on its Wayne State University location and Rosa at Miss Eva’s in Rosedale Park. Other plans include catering and corporate coffee services, private and community events, retail coffee products, merchandise, and a new website.
Dean told the Free Press she is retaining ownership.
Rosa Cafe operations at Miss Eva begin on June 29 with an anniversary celebration of Rosa’s four years in business.
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SusanMariecooks. Subscribe to the Eat Drink Freep newsletter for insider scoops on food and dining in metro Detroit.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Coffee shop and cafe to close at Water Square downtown, reopen together
Reporting by Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
