'Biggby fanatic' bringing coffee shop franchise to Charlevoix

CHARLEVOIX — A familiar coffee shop will soon be opening in Charlevoix at 1418 Bridge St.

Biggby Coffee will be open before Labor Day if all goes according to plan.

The building at 1418 Bridge St. used to be the home of the Pigs Eatin’ Ribs restaurant before a fire destroyed the space in 2021. Instead of reopening the storefront, the business let it go in favor of operating its catering service and food truck.

Self-described ‘Biggby fanatic’ Adam Boyce is a real estate agent in Charlevoix. He decided to open a location for his favorite coffee shop after finding the space.

Boyce was a student at Michigan State University in East Lansing where Biggby Coffee opened its first location and spent much of his time in college at the coffee shop.

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“I've always been a big fan of the product and the company and what they stand for and the atmosphere that they create in their coffee shops,” Boyce said. “It's always been a positive experience for me.”

Biggby Coffee is known for specialty drinks and was one of the first companies to offer that kind of caffeine fix when it opened its first store in the mid-1990s. Since then, the company has continued to expand and open stores around the U.S., but is considered a Michigan staple.

According to Boyce, the community has shown a lot of support for the coffee shop.

“I think 99 percent of the response has been really positive. Really. Everyone I talked to is very excited about it and looking forward to having Biggby in the community,” Boyce said. 

"Anytime I'm wearing the Biggy shirt people immediately ask about it and ask how it's coming in and when we're opening. Social media has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Sarah Van Horn, Charlevoix Area Chamber of Commerce president, added that “I think people are excited to have kind of a drive-thru, north side of town, not-have-to-go-downtown coffee.

“But also, I think people are excited for the Biggby name and they have a lot of food items that people get excited about too. It should be a nice addition.”

Boyce said he plans to embody the Biggby Coffee values of existing to love people. He said he wants to emphasize that, despite being a franchise, the business is owned and operated by a local family that values the community

“This is a small business, locally owned, family business," he said. "I think sometimes when big names come in, people assume it's corporate or a big entity. I'm just like anyone else, (I) went to my bank and got a small business loan to start working on this little pipe dream I had.”

As the space comes together and equipment and supplies are delivered, Boyce now needs to hire 15 to 20 people from baristas to managers. Those interested in applying can go to the Biggby website to fill out an application.

Contact reporter Tess Ware at tware@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter, @Tess_Petoskey