Drink

FOOD

Josh Greenwood says his former Urban Bean Co. underwent a $750,000 renovation to become the new SPKR BOX.

A caffeine boost

Former Urban Bean Co. coffee shop rebrands as SPKR BOX bar

MARC KLOCKOW

Detroit’s Capitol Park

neighborhood has changed a lot since osh reenwood first acquired the funky id-century modern building at the corner of G rand R iver and G riswold back in . hen he first opened his rban ean o. co ee shop there, he installed a DJ booth as a nod to its former tenant, lake a ter, a techno D who ran the ave the inyl record store in the space in the ’ s. obody was in apitol ark, back then, reenwood recalls. There weren’t even streetlights. It was ust like me and basically arry ongo of ne t-door afe D’ ongos peakeasy holding down the neighborhood. e lived above his place, and I lived here at the store for a number of years.

The rban ean o. has opened in fits and starts, closing in and reopening in , after Dan ilbert relocated his uicken oans headquarters downtown and brought in an in u of young workers. In recent years, it seemed that reenwood’s gamble was finally paying o , as apitol ark now bu es with a multitude of retail and restaurant options.

Then the pandemic happened. reenwood says he decided early on to use the forced closure to reimagine his shop, which resulted in rebranding it as K and acquiring a liquor license. As apitol ark transitioned into what it is today, which is a thriving neighborhood, it only makes sense for us to get a liquor license and provide some boo e and some co ee, and polish this thing up, he says. reenwood has a deep love and appreciation for techno, having booked D s for 5 years, including at his former astern arket nightclub ush. e’s gearing up to open K in time for the ovement festival, planning to draw techno fans to the renovated space with a number of D events.

The 75 , restoration saw reenwood and his partners, which also includes Tony acco of oot pi eria, simultaneously bringing back elements of the building to their original glory while also adding new features. For e ample, over the years, as its windows broke, the previous owners replaced them in sections, resulting in a patchwork of uneven break bars. ut now the glass window panes are restored to the original design, and reenwood claims they’re now the tallest in the city at feet and three inches high.

Additions to the space include a brand new bar and equipment, as well as the construction of a co y private nook and a smaller, second- oor bar. The custom D booth’s wood panels have also been upgraded with bright yellow upholstery.

To helm K ’s beverage program, reenwood tapped Thomas hillips, who comes with e perience at Tallulah ine ar istro and ella iatti in irmingham and ed rown in rosse ointe ark, among others. hillips says he is building a menu around co ee-infused cocktails, but wants the bar’s o erings to be wellrounded. If you walk in and you want a argarita, or a crewdriver, or a French 75, we can make that, he says. I want to establish that standard, and you can always have that here. ut what we want to have fun with is kind of ust like playing with co ee cocktails. efore, it was a co ee shop with really good espresso and some fun lattes, reenwood adds. And now we’re totally est oastin’ it.

For food, reenwood says he’s partnering with a local company called illage and ies, which makes what he describes as a cross between a croissant and a pasty. hillips describes them as adult ot ockets. K will be open daily 7 a.m. .am. reenwood says he is hoping to fill a niche in the local bar scene for third-shifters, noting that most bars in town don’t hold early morning hours. aturally, the renovations also include a new sound system, and reenwood says he plans to pipe the music to an outdoor speaker to entice people walking down the street. e’s lining up a number of D events for ovement weekend. That includes The uice is oose party from - p.m. on Friday, ay 7, featuring D s ara imms, Alley Kay, Animkee, sy- hick, irkin, , en ero, Adam harles, and Andrea Kala ian. n aturday, ay , the A , higeto b b cott , and Isaac rieto will also spin from p.m.- a.m. There’s also a free drum and bass-themed party with D ec starting at p.m. on unday, ay . A ovement afterparty is also planned for Tuesday, ay . reenwood says he’ll also continue a tradition from the rban ean o. days, recording the internet radio show Planet Funk for .fm on ednesdays. The show features two guest D s spinning live in the cafe, who are then interviewed. e don’t necessarily always play techno, reenwood says. I mean, there are people that come in and play all these 5s and a and funk and r b. e kind of mi it up but there’s no trance. e don’t allow trance here. Actually, there’s one person that’s allowed to play trance, but he only plays like once a year. e gets a pass, because he’s a sweetheart. e adds, e’re e cited about opening, and e cited about the team. e’re gonna kick some ass on this corner. It’s not your normal co ee shop. ike, we can be loud, hillips says. That’s what I want, to be di erent. ike we want to be loud and proud, and blast ams, and have fun with it.

By Lee D eV ito

SPK R BOX is located at 200 G rand River A ve., D etroit; more information is available at spkrbox.bar.