As of Friday, June 26, the doors to Simply Roasted are officially open. Customers are bustling in, anxious to smell what’s brewing and taste what’s baking. For those who have observed the transformation from barbershop to café over the last few months, sitting inside and experiencing the change feels like a long-awaited reward. For the owner of the café, the wait has been even longer.
The story behind Simply Roasted is one of Borculo roots and a Borculo return, with a lot of years and locations in between. Like her grandpa Wes Glass and his 15 siblings, Abi Simmons, owner of Simply Roasted, grew up in Borculo. She and her husband Greg met at Zeeland High School and off they went—to Michigan State University, New York City, and Philadelphia.
Abi’s first job was as a Biggby barista and “that’s where I fell in love with the whole thing,” she recalled. She loves connecting with people “in little spurts but having such a huge impact”—both on her and the customer. Thinking about the randomness of her customers she shared something one of them once said: “It takes all kinds to make the world go round.”
Abi became a hospital social worker, married Greg, and that's when they moved to Philadelphia. She and Greg always knew someday they’d like to open a cafe, but nowhere ever felt right. When it came time to raise a family they knew exactly where they wanted to be—back home in Borculo.
Life took over with a busy four-kid household and a therapy practice, but Abi always had had her eye on the “cool, iconic building” on the corner, which at that time, as it had for many years, held a barbershop. She told Greg it would be the spot to someday build their café. Abi shared her dream with her friend who, upon hearing it was available, told Abi, “Now is your time.”
After two weeks of hesitation, Abi finally called the owner, Clark DeGlopper. “I just got that really strong feeling of like 'just make the call,'” Abi said. By the end of the conversation, Clark told her: “You know, I never answer the phone, but obviously there was a reason for this.”
Initially only one of the sides of the building was available, which Abi soon realized would be too small to make her vision work. And then… the other tenant, Sheldon Meats, decided to leave.
Before deciding whether to move forward, Abi wanted approval from Joel Vander Kooi. Joel had built the building in 1963 and for years had operated a barbershop on one side with his wife Vivian running a salon on the other side. Abi described their time there as “50 years’ worth of lunches together in the back room.”
Abi said she likes to respect the past while at the same time working to move things forward. If you only respect the past, she finds you don’t really respect the future. hThe past and future should mold and evolve together, otherwise it’s like a generation dies off and there’s no history.
Joel’s response to Abi was: “If it’s good for the community, good for Clark, good for you—because it’s gotta be good for you, then it’s good with me.” That meant a lot to Abi, especially since Joel had grown up with her grandpa. She insisted that both Joel and Clark come to the ribbon cutting, where she showed Joel the changes to the space, and he shared his memories of how it used to be.
Once Abi and Greg started turning the barbershop into a café, community members began reaching out wanting to be a part of what they were building. Esther from Lark & Lamb, a local mom, asked to do the mural. Jenny Leigh who’s from right up the road wanted to sell her “stunning” florals, and Andrea from Pots by Andrea in Allendale, created all the mugs. “It was really cool how it all came together,” Abi said.
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When it came to the menu, Adi and Greg wanted clean, healthy, and “really good” items. In their travels and time living in other states, they have sampled combinations of flavors and textures that they knew had to be included. The menu is a collection of their absolute favorites.
The chai, Adi said, is amazing. After ordering, customers—including a FedEx driver—have come back in to say it’s the best chai they have ever had. It’s crafted by a South Indian chef and imported from Boston. The soon-to-be famous chai is featured in the café’s specialty latte, Golden Hour, which is iced chai with mango foam.
The waffles are made by a French chef and shipped in from California. Made with yeasted dough and European pearl sugar, it is “the best waffle ever.” Also flown in from California are non-preservative, non-gmo breakfast sandwiches, breakfast burritos, and afternoon burritos.
From a Czechoslovakian baker in Philadelphia come wholesome and healthy granola bars and snacks. The bagels are from Adi’s “favorite place on the planet, New York City. Because they have the best.” Delivered fresh a few times a week will be various goodies from the Village Baker in Spring Lake.
And you can’t have a café without roasted coffee beans. Those come locally from Magnum Coffee Roastery.
With a successful soft opening all week, Abi looks forward to the grand opening on Friday, June 26. So far the community has responded, with steady patronage, warm welcomes and introductions from those who have been following and commenting on the Facebook page, and several customers who have let Abi know they have been praying for her. Abi said she thinks people are excited to have a place to come and sit in Borculo, where there aren’t a lot of choices.
The space will continue to evolve. There soon will be online ordering and eventually a drive through. And Abi will use the space to continue in both of her callings—café owner and social worker. She has the beginnings of a therapy office in the back with a separate entrance. She currently sees clients virtually. When asked how it will work to combine a café and therapy office, Abi replies with confidence that this has always been her dream. It’s who she is and what she does.
Also still to come will be a big exterior sign on both black sides of the building that will say Simply Roasted Coffee Shop.
“It will be lit up at night and it will just… it’s going to be so beautiful.”
Monday through Friday: 6:30am–3pm
Saturday: 8am–1pm
Sunday: closed
And the address, though you can’t miss it if you drive through the main drag of Borculo: 6441 96th Ave. Zeeland
Krista Yetzke is a native of Ottawa County. A jeep-driving, guitar-playing wife, mom, and everyday adventurer, Krista was raised on the love of Jesus, the great outdoors, the arts, the value of frugality, and the beauty of food as medicine.
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