Narrow Way Cafe & Shop

What Narrow Way Cafe & Shop does

Narrow Way Cafe & Shop is a privately held, founder-owned black-owned coffee shop operating from a single storefront at 19331 Livernois Ave in Detroit, Michigan. Founded in April 2016 by brothers David Merritt and Jon Merritt, the business was created by converting a church bookstore at Straight Gate International Church into a cafe and shop concept, then expanded to serve the broader Detroit community by July 2016. The company serves local Detroit residents, the founding church congregation, and broader coffee enthusiasts through a hybrid physical retail and e-commerce model.

The product portfolio centers on an in-store cafe menu of espresso, brewed coffee, teas, smoothies, and baked goods (priced $2-$6.50), supplemented by three signature retail coffee bean blends — Day Break (light roast), High Noon (medium roast), and Night Fall (dark roast) — developed in exclusive partnership with Zingerman's Coffee Company and sold in 12oz bags at $12.99. A recurring revenue layer is provided by the Stress-Free Java Club subscription at $19.99/month, which delivers a monthly 12oz bag and includes member perks such as unlimited refills, a 10% food discount, and a birthday treat. The technology stack is commodity SaaS: Shopify for e-commerce, RevelUp for online ordering, and ReCharge for subscription billing.

Revenue is generated through one-time in-store and online purchases, recurring subscriptions, and physical gift cards ($10/$25/$50). With approximately 5 employees and ~48 operating hours per week, the business is a small, community-rooted specialty coffee retailer with no external institutional capital, no disclosed revenue figures, and no announced expansion plans.

Name

Narrow Way Cafe & Shop

Legal name

Narrow Way Cafe & Shop

Website

https://thenarrowwaycafe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Narrow Way Cafe & Shop is a black-owned, single-location specialty coffee shop and retail bean brand in Detroit's Livernois Avenue of Fashion, serving local residents and the founding Straight Gate International Church community with in-store cafe fare, Zingerman's-sourced signature roasts, and a monthly subscription.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Shop

NAICS

Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAFADAA

Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave)

Travel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Cafes & Coffee Shops

SECONDARYCRAHAGAI

Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories)

Consumer Products & Retail/Grocery & Food Retail/Specialty Food Stores (Deli, Cheese, Gourmet, Bakery)

SECONDARYTHAFADAG

Cafe-Bakeries (Coffee + Pastry Focus)

Travel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Cafes & Coffee Shops

Keywords

• Specialty coffee shop
• Coffee subscription service
• Retail coffee beans
• Cafe beverages and baked goods
• Gift cards

Headquarters

HQ city

Detroit

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. In-store Food & Beverage Sales: Traditional cafe revenue from selling hot drinks, iced drinks, smoothies, and baked goods at the physical location on Livernois Ave. Menu includes espresso drinks, teas, pastries, and specialty items.
2. Retail Coffee Beans: Sale of whole bean coffee in 12oz bags for at-home brewing. Three signature blends available: Day Break (light roast), High Noon (medium roast), and Night Fall (dark roast) at $12.99 per bag.
3. Stress-Free Java Club Subscription: Monthly subscription program ($19.99/month) delivering a unique 12oz bag of coffee to members' doorsteps each month. Includes member benefits: free coffee traveler mug, unlimited refills at location, 10% discount on baked goods/sandwiches/salads, and complimentary birthday treat for member and a friend. $5 shipping fee per order.
4. Gift Cards: Physical gift cards sold in $10, $25, and $50 denominations, redeemable at the 19331 Livernois location.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Narrow Way Cafe & Shop operates a single-location specialty coffee shop in Detroit that sells espresso drinks, brewed coffee, loose-leaf tea, smoothies, and baked goods in-store, alongside an online retail operation selling three signature 12 oz coffee bean blends (Day Break, High Noon, Night Fall) developed with Zingerman's Coffee Company. The company also runs the Stress-Free Java Club, a $19.99/month coffee subscription delivering a unique 12 oz bag to members, with member perks including a branded travel mug, unlimited in-store refills, a 10% food discount, and a complimentary birthday treat.

Product overview

Narrow Way Cafe & Shop is a black-owned coffee shop and retail operation offering freshly ground coffee, loose leaf tea, baked goods, smoothies, and specialty beverages. The product portfolio centers on three retail coffee bean varieties (Day Break light roast, High Noon medium roast, and Night Fall dark roast) sourced through Zingerman's Coffee Company, sold in 12 oz bags at $12.99 each. The core subscription offering is the Stress-Free Java Club at $19.99/month, which delivers monthly coffee shipments with member benefits. Gift cards are available in $10, $25, and $50 denominations. The cafe also serves an extensive menu of hot drinks, iced drinks, baked goods, and smoothies for dine-in and takeout.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Stress-Free Java Club: Monthly subscription program delivering 12oz bag of unique coffee to members' doorsteps, with benefits including a Members Only Coffee Traveler Mug, unlimited refills, 10% discount on baked goods and sandwiches, and complimentary birthday treat.

Products and services

• Stress-Free Java Club Monthly Subscription Monthly subscription delivering a unique 12 oz bag of coffee to members' doorsteps, priced at $19.99/month plus $5 shipping, with perks including a Members Only Coffee Traveler Mug, unlimited brewed coffee refills at the cafe, a 10% discount on baked goods, sandwiches, and salads, and a complimentary baked good during the member's birthday month for the member and a friend.
• Day Break Coffee Beans (Light Roast) Light roast coffee blend custom-developed with Zingerman's Coffee Company, sold in 12 oz retail bags at $12.99 each for at-home brewing.
• High Noon Coffee Beans (Medium Roast) Medium roast coffee blend custom-developed with Zingerman's Coffee Company, sold in 12 oz retail bags at $12.99 each for at-home brewing.
• Night Fall Coffee Beans (Dark Roast) Dark roast coffee blend custom-developed with Zingerman's Coffee Company, sold in 12 oz retail bags at $12.99 each for at-home brewing.
• Physical Gift Cards ($10, $25, and $50 denominations) Physical gift cards sold in $10, $25, and $50 denominations, delivered by mail and redeemable at the 19331 Livernois Ave cafe location.
• In-Store Cafe Menu Service Walk-up, app, and phone-ordered food and beverage service at the 19331 Livernois Ave cafe, Monday-Saturday 8am-4pm, including brewed coffee ($2.25), espresso drinks ($3-$4.50), iced drinks ($2.65-$5), smoothies ($5-$6.50), and baked goods ($2-$5.75).

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Zingerman's Coffee CompanycoreTechnology or IntegrationExclusive coffee bean supplier and blend development partner. The partnership involved extensive collaboration to develop the three signature coffee blends: Day Break (light roast), High Noon (medium roast), and Night Fall (dark roast). Zingerman's roasted the beans to Narrow Way's specifications, creating proprietary custom blends.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Sip & Sonder: Black-owned specialty coffee shop and community space combining cafe service with cultural/community programming. Highly comparable as a black-owned specialty cafe brand with community-rooted identity.
• Counter Culture Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster focused on sustainable, traceable coffee with cafe and wholesale presence. Comparable to Narrow Way's premium-bean positioning through the Zingerman's partnership.
• Verve Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster with a chain of cafes and online retail bean and subscription offerings. Comparable third-wave specialty coffee operating model.
• La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster operating its own cafes plus DTC retail bean and subscription sales. Closely aligned with Narrow Way's cafe + bean + subscription revenue mix.
• Blue Bottle Coffee: Specialty coffee company running cafes plus a robust e-commerce subscription and retail bean business. Directly comparable on the cafe + retail bean + subscription offering that Narrow Way pursues.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Third-wave specialty coffee roaster and cafe operator with direct-to-consumer retail bean sales and subscriptions. Operates its own cafes and ships roasted beans, mirroring Narrow Way's specialty bean + cafe model.

Others

• Zingerman's Coffee Company: Ann Arbor-based craft coffee roaster and current exclusive bean supplier to Narrow Way. Included as an ecosystem partner rather than direct competitor, given its role in producing Narrow Way's proprietary blends.

Regional players

• Kuzzo's Coney Island: Adjacent restaurant operator on Detroit's Livernois Avenue of Fashion, sharing foot-traffic catchment with Narrow Way. Comparable as a community-rooted Detroit F&B business in the same corridor.
• Rose's Fine Foods: Independent Detroit cafe and restaurant serving specialty coffee, brunch, and baked goods. Comparable as a small-format specialty cafe operator in the Detroit market.

Broad incumbents

• Starbucks: Largest global coffee chain operating thousands of cafes with extensive retail bean and subscription (Stars) programs. Sets the competitive baseline for cafe traffic, retail bean pricing, and subscription expectations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/thenarrowwaycafe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/narrow-way-cafe-shop

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Narrow Way Cafe & Shop