Coffee company owner in Ferndale preparing to open brick-and-mortar shop
A small business owner in Metro Detroit is ready for a new chapter.
He's preparing to open his very first brick-and-mortar coffee shop in Ferndale, Michigan, and he needs your help.
Three days a week, inside the Rust Belt Market, you'll find Teddy Shaska at his coffee cart.
"I decided to invest my savings into a coffee cart just because I've had experience with coffee, and I would like to think I'm good at it, and I really enjoy it," Shaska said.
The name of his business, Honey Dirt Coffee, came to him after one too many drinks.
"It's just, I was a little inebriated at the time when I was thinking of this name. I was eating graham crackers with honey. And as it goes, when you have great ideas, you write them down on your Notes app," Shaska said. "I knew some point I'll have a business and, yeah, that's how it came about. I just had this idea in a slightly altered state of mind, but it came into fruition as my business name."
Shaska filed for the Limited Liability Company back in 2023.
He started doing pop-ups in 2024, and for the past year, the coffee company has called Ferndale home.
"Ferndale loves their coffee. There's always room for coffee in Ferndale, believe it or not. It's really supportive in that aspect," Shaska said.
Now he's ready to move into a new 1,500-square-foot space on Livernois Avenue.
"It was one of those things where, if I saw an opportunity like this warehouse around Livernois, I kind of wanted to just be curious and just ask questions and see if it's even possible," Shaska said.
What sets his coffee apart from others in the area is Shaska's devotion to roasting and sourcing everything.
"I'm just really invested in the actual product and making sure that it comes out the way I would like it to come out. And if I don't drink it, I wouldn't serve it," Shaska said.
After taking out loans, maxing out his savings and money from investors, Shaska still needs help to get the café up and running.
"The fundraiser is really just to have a little bit of breathing room and just a cushion. With any small business that's opening up, especially in the early stages, the first few months, you don't know if it's going to be busy or not," Shaska said.
As of Sunday afternoon, the fundraiser is about halfway to its goal of $15,000.
Donors get something back in return, like a hat or gift card.
"It's humbling and I hope someday I could be in a position to do the same thing for somebody else," Shaska said.
His vision is to create a space that feels more like a party.
"We love our laptop individuals. We encourage that. We have all these outlets. But really, I want this to be a social club. I want this to be something where people come and hang out," Shaska said.
Next steps include getting final inspections and approvals from the county and city.
Shaska hopes to have Honey Dirt Coffee open sometime this summer.