By Michael Ludwig
Special for The State News
Despite its colorfully painted walls and new custom-made furniture, walking through the doors of Aroma Gourmet Coffee and Tea for the first time reminded 29-year-old John Reiber of his old favorite shop, Caffe Latte.
Aroma Gourmet Coffee and Tea opened for business on Jan. 24 at 110 Charles St., where Caffe Latte once operated.
Reiber said he frequented Caffe Latte for nearly a decade, but he plans on coming back to Aroma Gourmet Coffee and Tea because of the location.
"I like a place that doesn't have a totally corporate feel to it," the Mason resident and Lansing Community College student said.
Shop owner Sung Jon said he is trying to make Aroma Gourmet Coffee and Tea a student-friendly place.
He plans to offer free T1 Internet with up to eight Ethernet ports as well as a wireless adapters.
"This is really a student-oriented atmosphere," Jon said. "It's not like the big franchise coffee shops. It's a little bit jazzier."
Within the next month and a half, there will be a live jazz performance, Jon said, adding that he wants to have music that customers will be able to study or relax to.
Former Caffe Latte customers are likely to recognize the oversized dry-erase board in the back hallway that Jon said he kept because customers said they liked it. He also still allows smoking inside.
Other aspects have changed.
The walls have been painted yellow and green and are decorated with perfume bottles and flowers. There are a variety of seating options, including comfortable couches and lounge chairs.
"I was really lucky to get in touch with the owner of Caffe Latte to get this location," Jon said. "Caffe Latte wasn't growing to the point of reaching out to all the students on campus."
Aroma Gourmet features locally brewed coffee from The Coffee Barrel, 2446 Jolly Road in Okemos, and eight specialty teas. The tea menu offers a variety of teas, such as "Tahitian Tangerine," which is green tea flavored with vanilla, rose petals and tangerine.
Jon said his future plans for the business include expanding the menu to baked goods, desserts and cold drinks, such as frozen coffee and juices.
Jim van Ravensway, East Lansing's director of planning and community development, said Aroma Gourmet's Charles Street location is ideal for a coffee shop, because of high pedestrian traffic. It is, however, a high density area of competition, he said.
The best chance for success is for the business to establish a niche crowd, van Ravensway said.
"My gut instinct is that it can succeed because the East Lansing population tends to support independently owned businesses, but I don't know where the 'too many [coffee shops]' line is," he said.
