From Bonsai to Books: Orchard House Books plants the seeds for a new local bookstore

Fully realizing a late-summer dream for owner Amy Squire, a former garden supply store on Michigan Street has been transformed into a fully stocked bookstore and cafe.

Orchard House Books and Cafe is a pop of color on the otherwise industrial Michigan Street. The sage green building features a botanical mural by Michigan-based muralist Paige Rochefort Daydreams by Paige.

Squire, who opened Plumfield Books in Ada in September 2022, had dreamed of opening a bookstore and coffee shop. So when a property in Grand Rapids became available in the summer of 2023, Squire knew she had to act fast. Orchard House Books opened to the public in late June 2024.

“Doing an entire building renovation is a huge project,” said Orchard House Book manager Anna Swanson. “There were a lot of things we needed to change to suit our purposes. We did a lot of work on the interior, putting in the kitchen and cafe. We completely repainted the exterior.”

A full-service coffee bar also serves La Colombe lattes on draft and pastries from Buka Bakehouse. Patrons can lounge on the green velvet couch, work on the community puzzle or take their coffee into the restored greenhouse. With several large tables and endless amounts of natural light, the greenhouse is the perfect space to get work done or dig into a good book.

“Neither Amy nor I have run a cafe, so it was a lot of research and figuring stuff out and a lot of hiring people who do know what they’re doing so they can tell us what they need,” said Swanson. 

Before opening, Squire talked to several bookstore and cafe owners she knew through social media. La Colombe Coffee Roasters also provided input into what equipment they would need in addition to providing barista training.

Many of the Orchard House Books baristas also work as booksellers. 

“There’s less of a significant boundary between the cafe and the bookstore,” said bookseller and barista Max Sczesney. “It doesn’t feel like two separate positions.” 

Unlike larger chain bookstores like Barnes and Noble, the selection at Orchard House Books is highly curated, with only two or three copies of each title available at a time. 

“As a former librarian and a current bookseller, I love that so many people are interested in reading and that they want physical books. I think there was a lot of panic over the last few years as e-books were becoming more popular that physical books would become obsolete, and that’s definitely not the case,” said Swanson. 

So far, the local community has been welcoming to Orchard House. 

“A lot of people are excited that there’s a bookstore within walking distance here or a cafe that they can ride their bike to. It’s been really exciting. There are quite a few bookstores in Grand Rapids and it’s really exciting to join them,” said Swanson.