YPSILANTI, MI — The Deep End Café & Gallery is bringing more than just coffee to Ypsilanti.
Co-owners Candace Cavazos and Pierre Goree celebrated the café’s grand opening at 310 Perrin St. on Saturday, March 25. The business will not only offer healthy food and drink options, but it will also provide artists a space in Ypsilanti.
Cavazos has been a poet for over 10 years and has been a member of a poetry collective called The Guild since 2015. She is often known for the work she has done under her artist’s name, Oceania.
The Deep End Cafe & Gallery will be a spot any underrepresented artists can sell and promote their artwork, Cavazos said, adding it will be a “very collaborative space” always open to working with people who align with its mission.
The business is also planning to sell merchandise beyond just artwork like other people’s books and creations.
“I’ve been in and out of cafes my whole life so that has brought me to meet a lot of different artists along the way and artist communities across the Midwest,” Cavazos said. “When the opportunity came up for me to open a café — it just made sense.”
The café and gallery will feature work from at least one artist per month. The shop’s current featured artist is Sheefy McFly who is a musician and artist from Detroit.
Each artist will also have meet and greet events where customers can listen to them talk more about their work and possibly purchase art at a discounted rate. The business will also have other private events for customers to check out as well.
Cavazos is the one behind curating all of the artists that step through The Deep End’s doors. She said the process is “intimate” and will often require her reaching out to artists she believes fit best with the business.
“That’s what I was most excited about with this café was being able to finally curate the art and artists that I love that I feel like should be represented and celebrated,” she said.
As for the café’s menu, the couple said they are working with a Detroit-based company called The Squeeze Station to bring healthy food and drink options to Ypsilanti. Cavazos previously worked as a consultant for the company before the collaboration.
Although Cavazos is from Detroit, she said she is excited to be a part of Ypsilanti and see the impact she can make in a new place.
Customers will be able to find menu items for breakfast, wraps and salads along with drinks like coffee, lattes, cappuccinos, macchiatos, smoothies, teas, fresh pressed juices and wellness shots.
“The goal is to make healthy food accessible to the community, especially … right here in this area (where) there’s not a lot of options,” she said. “We felt like it was an important way to put our mission out there.”
As for Goree’s involvement, he said supporting his partner, Cavazos, was an easy decision for him.
“I know she is very ambitious and motivated,” he said. “She built this whole thing from the ground up from the website to the digital marketing … so I really had no choice but to believe in her vision.”
Over the years, Cavazos said she often felt “under pressure” as she navigated being a first-generation college graduate from the University of Michigan. She added she continues to feel this way now as a first-generation business owner.
Ultimately, Cavazos said she wants customers and artists to feel a sense of relief at The Deep End no matter what they are going through. The idea of everyone being “deep under where the pressure is” was actually where the café got its name, she said.
“We represent underrepresented artists so … we acknowledge the pressure you’re under and we want to alleviate that a little while you’re here and while your art is here,” she said.
The cafe’s hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Find The Deep End Cafe & Gallery online or on social media.
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