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Comet Coffee
Filed in Coffee shops on Jun.09, 2009
Comet Coffee is in Nickels Arcade just off State Street. They have specialty coffee in a cozy shop.
I’ve spent the past few years studying coffee shops. Independent places face 2 issues:
1. They want to be charming
2. They want to make money
The best way to make money in a coffee shop is to give fast service and have your customers take their coffee with them. This is usually the opposite of charming.
Comet Coffee is charming but encourages people to leave with a coffee in hand by having only 2 tables and 4 chairs. It seems to be working for them, but I don’t see the point of paying a little extra for coffee only to drink it on the go.
Location: 16 Nickels Arcade
August 12th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
The reason to pay a bit extra is that it is by far the best coffee available in Ann Arbor!
October 8th, 2009 at 1:57 am
The extreme lack of seating is actually a zoning problem that Jim (Comet’s owner) has been battling since shortly after opening. Ironically, the outdoor seating falls into the area of private property (Nickels Arcade), unlike inside his shop which is governed by commercial zoning laws. Hopefully he can get his bar-tops and stools approved and back in service soon.
In the meantime, go ahead and order your coffee “for here” - drink it standing at the bar and get to know Jim’s staff, learn a bit about the coffee, and really get to appreciate the effort and quality they put into what they’re pouring. It’s superb and worth every penny.