Brooklyn Java Coming to Ferndale

Detroit’s loss may be Ferndale’s gain—at least when it comes to coffee.

Detroit native Sandi Heaselgrave and her husband Andrew have partnered with pastry chef Ann St. Peter to turn her on West Nine Mile Road into a purveyor of fine coffee.

Pinwheel’s retail business has closed for now in order to remodel the front and put in a state-of-the-art coffee bar. Heaselgrave and her husband will serve Stumptown coffee under the name “Red Hook” while St. Peter continues her special-order bakery business from the back kitchen.

Pinwheel’s specialty items -- such as freshly made sandwiches and cookies -- will still be served and the new business partners hope to open the new venture in October when the remodel is complete.

Heaselgrave had at first envisioned a stand-alone coffee shop in the heart of Detroit. It was supposed to be the remedy for a fast-paced life in New York City, where for the past 12 years she had built up her career working at one of the world’s largest photo agencies.

During that time Heaselgrave lived right down the street from Stumptown Coffee Roasters in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, and she and her husband agreed it was fantastic brew. Detroit, the couple said, needed that kind of coffee, too.

But after a year of looking for space, Heaselgrave and her husband realized that going it alone would crush their budget.

"We were looking all around Detroit, but it was cost-prohibitive to start from scratch," said Heaselgrave, who lives with Andrew and their son, Henry, in their home in Detroit's New Center area.

So Heaselgrave reached out to her old friend St. Peter, whom she used to work with years ago at Woodward Avenue Brewery. Heaselgrave and her husband were looking for more affordable options, and it seems St. Peter was looking for some kind of relief from the retail portion of her business.

"I think this will just really be a good business move for both of us," St. Peter said of the partnership. "(Red Hook) will run the front part of the store and sell my goods, while I get to concentrate on more special orders," St. Peter said.

"And I'll get to see my kids more," she added.

As far as the coffee is concerned, Heaselgrave said they are excited to offer metro Detroit the kind of selection that can be found in New York. Stumptown coffee started out in Portland, OR, and then expanded to Brooklyn. Red Hook in Ferndale will brew Stumptown, which is roasted in Brooklyn, exclusively.

"We wanted to move back to Detroit, but we knew we'd miss the coffee (from Brooklyn)," Heaselgrave said. "Hopefully people will like it as much as we do."