ESPRESSO ROYALE

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Here are 10 of our A4 team's favorite interviews from 2021.

Ann Arbor Roasting Co. has opened up in the former State Street space once home to an Espresso Royale.

In celebration of International Coffee Day, we’re making a list of the latest cafes waking up the Tree Town caffeine scene.

ANN ARBOR, MI -- A new coffee roasting shop is taking over a space which previously housed an Espresso Royale location in downtown Ann Arbor. The city’s Historic District Commission approved plans on Thursday from The Ann Arbor Coffee Roasting Co. to renovate 322 South State Street. Espresso Royale had occupied that space until its closure during the coronavirus pandemic. Manthri Srinath, a co-owner of the company, said he was part of the original launch of the Espresso Royale shop in that location. The Ann Arbor Coffee Roasting Co. is the second roasting company with employees previously affiliated with Espresso Royale to take over former Espresso Royale locations, with M-36 Coffee Roasters taking over the company’s former South University location.

ANN ARBOR, MI -- Coffee company M-36 Coffee Roasters will be moving into a space previously occupied by Espresso Royale, the company confirmed to MLive on Friday. M-36 Coffee Roasters was co-founded by Lisa Tuveson and Ken Pargulski, two former long-term employees of Espresso Royale. Tuveson and Pargulski then founded M-36 Coffee Roasters, which offers a mix of unique blends and Espresso Royale coffee blends. M-36 hopes to open the shop, named M-36 Coffee, in July. Read more from The Ann Arbor News:Sonic Lunch returning to downtown Ann Arbor in AugustMuskegon Floral Co. closing on ‘good note’ after 98 years in businessShould Bo Schembechler statue come down?

David Lin had to close two of his Ann Arbor businesses during the pandemic. He's hoping a new crowdfunding effort will bring back small businesses across the U.S.

Happy Friday!

“We’re on a mission to bring back 100 businesses,” said Lin, founder of COVID Rescue Fund. Once a month, the COVID Rescue Fund plans to tally all the votes cast either for a geographical region or a lost business. “The faster we can get donors, the faster we can deploy the grants,” Lin said. Any business owner can apply for a grant, which takes about five minutes, on the COVID Rescue Fund website. The COVID Rescue Fund has other applicants and is looking to for more, Lin said.

Ann Arbor city services and businesses began to reopen this week in what is a step closer to returning to normal. - Meredith (@meredith_A4)Whats been happening: Hundreds of service workers in the Ann Arbor area have signed a petition to extend the closure of businesses over fears of returning to work due to the coronavirus. (A4) With less than a week to prepare for reopening, many Ann Arbor restaurants are struggling with safety concerns and rising food costs as they open their doors for dine-in service. Know someone who loves Ann Arbor? All About Ann Arbor is powered by ClickOnDetroit/WDIV.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. Espresso Royale Coffee is permanently shutting down its business, including the locations in Ann Arbor and East Lansing, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Sadly, our company has not survived the coronavirus pandemic, Espresso Royale announced Thursday. The companys cafes closed temporarily March 20, but as the state shutdown continued it became impossible for our company to remain viable, Espresso Royale announced. We think thats a success.M-36 Coffee Roasters offers the same blends that were served at Espresso Royale. You can visit the M-36 Coffee Roasters website here.