Eye candy of the week

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Property: 661 N. Cedar Road, Mason (personal parcel)

Owner: JE Coffee Corp.

Assessed value: $32,060

In general, coffee shops have quite the adaptive reuse history — it’s an inherent part of coffee-shop DNA. In mid-Michigan alone, coffee shops occupy existing storefronts, houses and gas stations. Often, coffee shops are the partner in a symbiotic relationship, none as prevalent as the one involving books. Think about it: Everybody Reads and the Avenue Café on Lansing’s East Side; Archives Book Shop and Grand River Coffee in East Lansing. You get the idea.

But sometimes you get other pairings. Case in point: 661 N. Cedar Road in Mason. Is it a bank or is it a coffee shop? The building design, complete with four banking lanes, indicates a bank — a classic late 20th-century style one at that. 

The Mason State Bank and Biggby Coffee make for a clever combination. It’s a full-service Biggby with interior seating and a drive thru located at the rear of the building, while it’s banking business as usual at the four Mason State Bank drive thrus. 

All too often, buildings built for single use become obsolete at some point. This type of arrangement ensures that the entire building continues to be relevant. At any rate, it’s very cool when a building intended for single use transitions to multi-use. 

“Eyesore of the Week” is our look at some of the seedier properties in Lansing. It rotates each week with Eye Candy of the Week. If  you have a suggestion, please e-mail eye@lansingcitypulse.com or call Andy Balaskovitz at 999-5064.

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