GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Ten years after the death of local Marine Daane Deboer the owner's behind a new coffee shop are working to honor his legacy.
HAS HEART [hasheart.us] is hoping to open a new cafe located in The Veterans Memorial Park, across Sheldon street in Grand Rapids.
The local Veterans organization was created by Navy Seabee Veteran Michael Hyacinthe and designer Tyler Way. The two met over a cup of coffee and toured the U.S.
Deboer, a member of Hyacinthe’s family, was killed by an IED in Afghanistan.
Hyacinthe says when he saw how the community came together for ArtPrize, he and Way wanted to come up with a space for Veterans and artists to collaborate and share Veteran's stories.
The popularity of HAS HEART’s ArtPrize venue in the small stone building within Veterans Memorial Park made it easy for the GR Department of Parks and Recreation to propose a partnership with them inside the historic building.
The pandemic has pushed construction back and is slated to open in 2021.
The Coffee Shop [hasheart.us] will be a cafe and retail shop that employs Veterans and their spouses. The venue will also display artwork created by Veterans and designers.
This will allow them to raise money to fund creative workshops for Veterans and creatives.
There will also be outdoor seating areas for the newly renovated park.
For more information or to support The Coffee Shop by HAS HEART, please visit hasheart.us/coffeeshop.
