Waiting in the wings and lurking in the shadows, coffee-loving night owls are counting down the minutes until Monroe’s newest haunt, Nocturnal, opens. Skeletons perched in the front windows beckon guests to drop in.
The corner coffee café, 2 W. Front St., will welcome customers from 3-10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, with a vendor pop-up market until 7 p.m. and music. It’s the brainchild of Hannah and Zach Holdwick of Monroe.
Black and exposed brick walls are adorned with a blend of Victorian and Gothic art. Candelabras and lighted pumpkins help illuminate the shop. Hardwood floors usher guests to a coffee bar to place their orders. At the end of a hall is a book case stocked with some of Hannah’s favorite authors, including several copies of Mary Shelley’s 1818 science fiction novel “Frankenstein.”
Guests can dine at tables and chairs or nestle in a corner of a couch. The shop can seat up to 35 patrons. A separate room, accommodating 25-30 people, is available to rent for private events or meetings.
The cafe is divided into zones.
“Zone one has tables and chairs and booth seating. Our second zone has couches and a couple chairs, and our third zone has a bigger table with chairs and a romantic section with seating for two,” Hannah Holdwick said.
The former high school English teacher has wanted to bring a Penny University or coffee house to the area for quite some time. They’ll serve coffee from Sabbath Coffee Roasters based in Clawson.
“A Penny University was the original coffee house,” she said. “In the 17th century, Britain created these coffee houses for people to come and have academic conversations. It encouraged the arts. It was an area for people to come together and share ideas. Our focus, same with our aesthetic look inside, is geared to the 17th century.”
The shop will offer coffee, teas, tonics and moon milk. The tonics are mixes of juice, herbs and fresh fruits. They will feature a Goth cider, which is very similar to the ciders served during the Gothic era. One of their drinks called the “Midnight Dreary” is made with fresh blueberries and blackberries, cinnamon, agave nectar and lemon juice.
“Moon milk is a warmed milk that has different herbal properties and benefits for health, for relaxation or calming nerves,” she said. “We’ve done research and I’ve come up with some of my own recipes and we’ve altered recipes from historical books with drink recipes.
“We’re an evening coffee shop so we’re focusing on being more of a dessert place. So after people go to places like Amaya’s or Public House, they can stop in and end their night with dessert and a cup of coffee. We are partnering with Cakes by Stephanie for some desserts, and we’ll have some that we make in house.”
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Holdwick knows the power of coffee. She fell in love with Zach when they were in college and he brought her a cup of joe in the wee hours of the morning when she was up studying and her computer crashed.
She remembers shortly after getting married in 2018, the couple would walk downtown Monroe and peek inside the Front Street store never realizing they’d one day own the building.
“I’ve always been drawn to this period of time when things were not so quick paced and we just had time,” Holdwick said. “My dream was to open a modern Victorian Penny University.”
When the couple found out the building was for sale, they bought it. Holdwick stopped teaching. They sold their home; moved in with Hannah’s parents, Chad and Traci Forman; and got busy building and renovating in January. Hannah’s dad has been their general contractor.
Turning a dream into reality has come with a hefty price tag. Along with business loans, the couple have drained money from their personal bank account, but it’s a chance worth taking.
“Growing up, I was that alternative kid that was not always accepted. I was the outcast,” Holdwick said. “I hated going to school because I was bullied. Going through that, I knew there were other outcasts and I had wished there was some place where we could come together and hang out and not have to worry about the stares and people being mean. I also love reading and coffee.”
The 28-year-old is hopeful the corner shop will be a safe space for students to study or hang out with friends and a destination place for anyone wanting a wickedly good cup of coffee.
Nocturnal’s business hours will be 3-11 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. More information can be found on Facebook at tinyurl.com/NocturnalCoffeeFB.
