Former NBA Players And Brothers Open Family Business, Which Is A Cafe By Day That Transforms Into A Speakeasy By Night
Brothers Joe and Jordan Crawford share more than just their time on the NBA court.
They have become the founders of CRED Café, according to The Detroit News. The business serves coffee sourced from Angela Yee’s Coffee Uplifts People, as well as snacks and pastries during the day, and then transitions into a speakeasy in the evening.
The property, located at 6340 E. Jefferson Ave., in Detroit, MI, is owned by the Crawford family and was operating solely as an event space that could cater to 75 people. The pair convinced their parents and younger brother to elevate the space after the two had spent time overseas.
“Our story is one of passion, commitment and a genuine desire to contribute to Detroit’s growth,” their mother, Sylvia Crawford, said, according to The Detroit News. She is also CRED Café president and CEO. “We started with a dream and transformed a vacant, blighted building into a multifaceted space that reflects the spirit of our community.”
She added, “It represents how individuals like Joe and Jordan, who have achieved success at the highest levels outside of Detroit and Michigan, are coming back home to reinvest in the city that raised them. I’m so proud of what they have done with CRED Cafe, and I just know the community will support them.”
The family was also aided by a $60,000 grant from Detroit’s Motor City Match small-business program, which was helpful to cover renovation and equipment costs.
Motor City Match is made possible through the collaboration of the city of Detroit, the Detroit Economic Growth Corp., the Economic Development Corp., and the U.S. Department of the Treasury through the American Rescue Plan Act. The program has awarded $15.7 million in cash grants over its last 24 rounds of distribution.
Sean Gray, who is DEGC vice president of small business services and responsible for managing the Motor City Match program, shared, “From morning coffee to evening cocktails and everything between, there is always something happening at CRED Cafe.”
He continued, “Those conversations years ago as Momma Sylvia drove her boys to school, cultivating their dream of uplifting Detroit, have truly blossomed. Now we all get to be part of the special community space this ambitious family has created right here in our amazing city.”
