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Good Beans, good vibes

By Jim Larkin

FLINT –
Ken VanWagoner knows well what it's like to grow up gay in the Flint area. That's why his Good Beans Cafe has become a safe haven of sorts for Flint area gay youth and a quasi-community center for the downtown Carriage Town neighborhood.
Opened seven years ago in a renovated rundown former grocery store at the corner of First Avenue and Grand Traverse, Good Beans Cafe is the place where gay alliances from the University of Michigan-Flint and Kettering University met, where local gay filmmaker David Garcia showcased his first film, and where artists and community activists congregate to share thoughts, ideas and a cup of fair trade organic coffee.
It didn't become that by mistake. It was by Van Wagoner's design.
"I wanted to give back to the gay community because I knew what it was like to grow up here," VanWagoner, 46, says. "We have a very comfortable, accepting, non-threatening environment and I love being able to offer that.
"I think because of that, a certain number of kids don't have to feel that hate or prejudice that some of us felt growing up. It's nice for them to know that there are people who value them and don't want to throw them away."
But it's more than just a gay gathering spot. It has also become a community center for local gays and straights alike. Walk in any day and you might find middle-aged women crocheting while sipping lemonade, college students studying with a cup of java, state Rep. Lee Gonzales, D-Flint, reviewing legislative plans with an aide or former Flint mayoral candidate Dayne Walling talking city strategies.
"Tumble Dry Low" cards by Flint artist Patty Warner are sold on the front counter, guides for the League of Flint Theatres and the Flint Youth Theater line a table and business cards from local vendors are scattered on one section near the entryway window. Works by local artists on the walls are changed every two months. Advertisements for local shows – the most recent being the showing of "The Copa" by gay UM-Flint theater students Drew Fifield and Kristi Starnes – are posted in the windows.
Originally tabbed as offering "a unique and nostalgic coffee-drinking atmosphere," Good Beans Cafe has taken on a new motto of "constantly supporting community, culture and the arts."
And gay and straight community leaders line up to offer VanWagoner praise for making it exactly that.
"He's opened up his place to put on shows, concerts and to hold meetings," says Jack LeSage, owner of T.S. Jenkins public relations firm in downtown Flint. He believes in giving young talent a chance. He's very open to it. He's a real kind-hearted person who believes in Flint and Carriage Town a lot."
"He has tremendous passion for the Carriage Town neighborhood, in particular, and the whole city of Flint, in general," adds Walling, who met VanWagoner while community organizing.
But it was a tragedy that brought VanWagoner back to Flint. His twin sister died in a boating accident and VanWagoner returned home, from Indianapolis, for her funeral about 15 years ago. With friends and family here, and his sister's advertising business to run, he stayed with the intention of one day returning to his house in Indianapolis – a house he now has up for sale.
"The longer you stay in a place," he reasons, "the deeper your roots grow."
He and his ex-partner bought a house in Carriage Town and he began to have a vision of opening up a neighborhood cafe. But not your normal cafe.
"I just knew I didn't want to be in the downtown strip. I knew my business would be off the beaten track," VanWagoner says. "I hoped that people would see it as a diamond in the rough."
It was the "rough" part that Walling initially saw when VanWagoner began renovating the former grocery store after being turned down by about 20 financial agencies for a business loan, despite having about 20 years of experience in the hospitality field. The building was, VanWagoner admits, close to being condemned.
"It certainly didn't look like a golden opportunity to anyone else," Walling admits. "I can only imagine the number of hours it took to renovate it."
But even more than the outward appearance of the cafe, VanWagoner focused on creating an atmosphere that, in many ways, matches his own personality – soft-spoken, caring and adhering to the Golden rule of doing unto others as you would want done unto you.
"It really is about atmosphere here. It is very, very comfortable and the staff is knowledgeable about the entire menu and offer friendliness bar none," VanWagoner says. "To me, it's all about your time here. Do you feel happy here? It sounds like a cliche but we do often have people tell us it feels like 'Cheers' here, where 'everyone knows your name.'"
VanWagoner said the business hasn't been nearly as prosperous as he hoped when he opened it seven years ago, but that he has no regrets about opening the cafe where he did. And he remains proud of offering gay youth a safe, welcoming atmosphere.
"Flint is a very tough town in that people here are more on the down low, so to speak," he explains. "As more and more businesses open that are tolerant and accepting, we will change.
"We have a long way to go, but I'd like to think I have broken down some barriers and, if I have, I've very proud of that."
Adds Walling: "I don't know if he thinks of himself as a risk taker, but he's certainly a pioneer."

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