Detroit shop reaches out to gay community
DETROIT РWithout a doubt, CafŽ de Troit has been a welcome addition to the downtown Detroit landscape. Need proof? The trendy little coffee shop, open only since April, has already managed to win no less than three Metro Times Best of Detroit Awards, including Best Educated Coffee, Best Independent Coffee House and Best Downtown Coffee Shop.
And if the weekly paper offered an award for friendliest coffee house proprietor, it's a safe bet CafŽ de Troit would have taken home that one, too. Lee Padgett, who was actually studying for a doctorate degree in chemistry before opening up the shop, has undoubtedly endeared herself to her customers Рmany of whom happen to be gay.
It's because of this special bond that Padgett is creating a new program she calls Coffee Mates.
"We have actually a lot of single gay gentlemen who come in, and one of them is a good friend of mine who lives in the neighborhood," explained Padgett. "He kept saying, 'I need to find places to go meet people.' So I just said, you know, I'm here for everybody and some of my clients have brought in magazines for people to read, you know, Between The Lines and things, so I said why not just do a singles night and mix it up some, let people know that the business community down here wants to bring everybody into the community."
The first Coffee Mates, geared exclusively toward gay men, will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 15 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. For now, Padgett plans to host one singles nights a month, and will also try out a heterosexual and lesbian format as well. The response, she says, will determine how often to host which group of people.
"As a business person, if the best response is from the gay males, then I'm going to have to do it more than every three month," she said.
Offering more than just coffee Рthough they've become known for their espressos РCafŽ de Troit also features a complete selection of Chai tea Рincluding the favorites Kashmiri and Marsala Рas well as soups, pastries, sandwiches and all natural fruit drinks. The shop itself, which is situated behind the Skillman Branch of the Detroit Public Library and just down the street from the new Compuware headquarters, provides a cozy ambiance and acts as a miniature art gallery featuring the latest works of several local artists on the walls.
"It's a nice safe space for people to meet," said Padgett of her shop and the Coffee Mates program. "No cigarettes, no alcohol, and just in time to make a date for the weekend."
