GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Lori Slager Wenzel opened Sparrow's Coffee at 1035 Wealthy Street 15 years ago.
On Saturday, January 7, she opened the same building she's operated through the best and worst of times under a new name: Scorpion Hearts Club.
In a self-published article, Lori details her decision to rebrand.
Her words resonated with people across Grand Rapids.
The Sparrows Coffee on Plainfield will stay the same. Scorpion Hearts Club will still serve Sparrow's Coffee, just under a new name.
“I felt like it looked like I was constantly, like changing everything up for no reason. So I wanted everyone to know. This is the reason," Lori said.
During COVID, Sparrows Wealthy Street Location had a brief stint as a bookstore.
On July 4, 2020, Lori lost her husband and the father of her three children. She met David at Sparrows. The two married there.
David had terminal brain cancer, something kept secret from most of the customers coming through Sparrow's door. Friends, family, and the neighborhood knew what Lori was going through. But like many difficult things, it was tough to share.
“There’s real life happening alongside your business life. You have to somehow make them work together,” Lori said.
Real life hits hard, and Lori says that's why she's taken such a liking to her new space, which she describes as a "pajama punk" theme. Comfy, and cozy. With an edge.
“There were a lot of times where it was me comforting others because they were so heartbroken for me. I was like, it’s okay. I’ll be fine. I’ll be fine,” Lori said.
Lori says she is fine, now. Fragile, but fierce, she calls it. It was hard looking at the old Sparrows, she said. It was a reminder of the old Lori.
But at one point, Lori thought about closing the coffee shop altogether.
She says she actually thought about it more than once. Her husband was sick. She had three little kids to take care of. But that's when she learned how strong she truly was.
“Like, I just want to get away from this. I don’t want to do it anymore,” Lori said.
From the ashes, Scorpion Hearts Club was born.
