Hidden Gems: Meet Katherine Perez of La Ventana Cafe

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Katherine Perez.

Hi Katherine, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My husband and I have moved around the country quite a bit for work when we were younger. In each city we’ve lived in, the coffee shop has been a place for us to go and plug into the community, learn more about each city and neighborhood, and meet new people. We came up with the concept for La Ventana in 2015 when we were living in Los Angeles.

The idea was to give people high-quality, consistent coffee drinks and small bites via a walk-up window (with only exterior seating). This never came to fruition, so we kept the concept in the back of our minds. We tried opening in New York in 2017 but were unable to find a suitable location. When we relocated to Detroit, we were excited by the opportunity to create a third space where people could come and gather. By chance, we came across the location on Gratiot. We were super excited by the potential to utilize some of the exterior space (which, at that time, was completely enclosed by corrugated steel panels).

We proposed opening a doorway and some windows in our space to create a courtyard space outside – referencing the original concept for La Ventana (meaning “the window” in Spanish). The landlord was also very excited by this concept and worked with us to create a useable outdoor space. Fast forward to one year later, and we’ve become a warm and inviting gathering space for folks from all over the city!

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road – this is our first small business venture, so there have been plenty of bumps along the way. The bumps are more logistics, like figuring out how to get a small business license or what permits you have to apply for to sell coffee.

We were delayed quite a bit during the build out because of aftermath of covid, but once we opened the doors, I’d say its been pretty smooth sailing! Small business life is always figuring out how to get things done with limited time and resources, but this is also part of what makes our adventure so exciting.

We’ve been impressed with La Ventana Cafe, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
La Ventana Cafe is a third wave coffee shop located in the Eastern Market neighborhood of Detroit. We are open 7 am-7 pm, seven days a week. We serve coffee from Intelligentsia Coffee (out of Chicago, IL). We are proud to have created a warm and welcoming space for members of the community who want to utilize a third space for working remotely, meetings, or just hanging out.

We have lots of seating and outlets. We serve pastries and croissants from Give Thanks Bakery and delicious breakfast burritos from Bunny Bunny.

Contact Info:

• Website: laventana.cafe
• Instagram: @laventanadetroit