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FRANKLIN DOHANYOS
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
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shoppers who stop in for a bite
to eat or a moment of relax-
ation. The night crowd is a
whole different breed."
"Those people are the true
lovers of coffee and quiet time,"
Jay said. "They often come in
and settle down with their fa-
vorite book, or come with a
group for social time.
"Many come to hear the live
jazz we feature on the week-
ends. We want to have folk mu-
sic, poetry readings and literary
meetings sometime soon."
When they were growing up,
Jay and Ryan dreamed of some-
day owning a business. Later,
Jay graduated from the Uni-
versity of Arizona with a bach-
elor's degree in business. Ryan,
currently a student at the Uni-
versity of Detroit Law School,
earned a bachelor's degree in ki-
nesiology from the University
of Michigan. Both say most of
their business acumen is in-
bred.
"We've gotten a lot of our
business sense
from our father,
Bob, who is a suc-
cessful business-
man," Ryan said.
"We watched him
when we were
younger and now
we ask for his ad-
vice on many
things. It's great
having someone
with knowledge to
learn from.
Coffee break? Not for these Lonestar customers.
owntown Birming-
ham's newest and
t youngest mer-
chants are learn-
ing a lot about
their business.
at's probably be-
cause they don't have time for
anything else.
Jay Rosett, 26, and his
brother Ryan Rosett, 23,
launched their Lonestar Coffee
Co. coffee house in late Febru-
ary. Since then, they've been
working 70-75 hours a week at
a place that's open from 6:30
a.m. to midnight on weekdays
and 6:30 a.m. to 3 a.m. on week-
ends.
The brothers, who have 12
employees, say they've already
noticed major differences be-
tween their day and evening
crowds.
"In the morning, we see the
rush-around people who come
in for a quick muffin and a cof-
fee to go," Ryan said. "At lunch,
it's the local merchants and
Photos by Glenn Triest
Brothers hope successful new
business is brewing.
Jay and Ryan Rosett take time out to enjoy the fruits of their labors.
"We also ask our mother,
Barbara, for advice, especially
when it comes to pastries and
cakes."
Jay and Ryan started
Lonestar with a small business
loan and a determination to
succeed. Jay guaranteed the
loan with property he had pur-
chased after graduating from
college.
"The night crowd
is a whole different
breed."
The brothers say Birming-
ham was the best place for their
coffee house.
"We considered other cities
when deciding where to locate,
but we felt Birmingham was
prime for something like
this," Ryan said. "We're cen-
trally located between Detroit
and the suburbs and we live
here.
"Besides, Royal Oak and Fer-
ndale have similar places. We
wanted to be unique."
Lonestar is located at 207
South Woodward, next to the
Birmingham Theatre, in the
building previously occupied by
the Ralph Lauren shop.
The interior has been com-
pletely redone in mahogany and
cherry woods and there are
bookshelves filled with reading
materials. Art pieces from local
galleries adorn the walls. Ar-
chitect Irving Tobocman de-
signed Lonestar with small
niches and quiet corners so pa-
trons can feel at home when
reading or sharing a conversa-
tion.
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