Former House Biggby space home to new coffee shop
LANSING — Trisha Kosloski worked at House Biggby as both a barista and manager for over a decade.
When the location at 120 W. Ottawa St. − dubbed "House Biggby" because of its proximity to the Anderson House Office Building - closed in June after nearly 23 years in business, Kosloski didn't hesitate to lease the space.
Three months later, she's opened The Hob Nob and the 133-year-old building on West Ottawa Street is once again home to a downtown coffee shop.
Kosloski learned to appreciate politics and politicians during the 12 years she worked at House Biggby. In opening The Hob Nob she hopes to welcome both back to the building.
"I want The Hob Nob to be the place where Michigan meets," Kosloski said. "I know they all technically meet at the Capitol but that's their job. I love dialing it back to sort of an older era where things are a little bit more personal and intimate."
'This is my dream'
When Kosloski, a Leslie native, first moved to Lansing in 2003 to attend Lansing Community College, "I hated the government and I hated politics," she said. "I thought that they were all suits."
Working at House Biggby, where many customers were legislators or government employees, offered perspective.
"I didn't recognize that most of my favorite customers were actual legislators until one day they had dropped off a book that had all the legislators' faces and descriptions and I was like, 'Oh, man, I like these people.'"
The job led Kosloski to work as a project manager and data analyst for elections and legislation, but she didn't consider how much she'd like to own the coffee shop at West Ottawa Street until she came back to manage it in 2019.
"That was when I wanted it to sort of be mine," she said.
When Jeff McAlvey, one of House Biggby's owners, told her about their plans to close and asked her if she wanted to lease the space for her own coffee shop Kosloski didn't hesitate.
"This is my dream," she said.
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A warm welcome downtown
The Hob Nob will feature coffee using beans from Michigan roasteries including Kalamazoo Coffee Company in Kalamazoo, Boom Town Roasters in Alpena, Madcap Coffee Company in Grand Rapids, The Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company in Detroit and Marquette-based Dead River Coffee Roasters.
"I'm always looking for more," Kosloski said. "My customers are so great. When they come in, I ask them if they know if they have a roaster in the district and then I reach out and sample it."
The coffee shop's menu also includes bagels, sandwiches, soups and salads.
Some of The Hob Nob's staff worked at House Biggby, Kosloski said, while others have never worked in a coffee shop.
So far the coffee shop has received a warm welcome downtown, she said.
"They're just happy it's open again," Kosloski said.
When House Biggby closed in June, McAlvey cited a decline in the number of people in downtown Lansing as a reason for the closure.
Kosloski said she isn't concerned about it.
"It has been bouncing back and I know that it's been a fluid trajectory but we're adding a bunch of residential units ... every year more and more people come back downtown and I don't want to jinx anything, but I don't think we're gonna get another COVID in the next 5 to 10 years."
Contact Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @GrecoatLSJ .
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: House Biggby space home to new coffee shop
