“It’s symbolic of my journey,” Russ Furrha says about the corner of Stadium and Main, where he is opening Drip House Coffee Co. He played football on two of the other corners–at Pioneer in high school, then in Michigan Stadium as a Wolverine. He later received his juris doctorate then worked in finance, but throughout he maintained an interest in coffee. (Furrha’s family has operated coffee shops throughout the state for more than three decades.) He initially inquired with the previous owners of the corner space, who decided on a tanning salon instead; when the salon closed recently and the M Den’s Scott Hirth acquired the land, Furrha finally scored his opportunity. In addition to latter-day coffeehouse staples like nitrogenated cold brew and “selfie-ccino” prints on foam, Furrha is excited about Japanese-style siphon-brewed coffee.
Furrha hopes Drip House will be the gathering place for Pioneer and U-M’s South Campus, as well as the neighborhood. Besides being a brewing term, “drip” is slang for confidence. Affirmations will figure prominently throughout, from the uniforms to the cups. “We just want to be a place where people can come in and feel comfort.”
Drip House is a return to consumable goods for the one-time service station at Main and Stadium. Later Schneider’s convenience store, it also hosted an art studio and two mobile-phone retailers over the years. And though its parking lot will continue to host the M Den’s pop-up spirit wear store on Michigan game days, Furrha looks forward to serving the football crowds.
Drip House Coffee Co., 1336 S. Main. Mon.-Fri. 6 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat. 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun. 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
