Entrepreneur Jim Jabara recently opened the Green River Cafe, an organic food café on M.A.C Avenue in downtown East Lansing, adding an eclectic flair to the East Lansing coffee house scene.
The shop sells organic coffee, sandwiches and sweet treats, and has plenty of space for musicians, students and local groups.
“Nothing comes in here bar-baked or frozen,” says Green River Café Chef 
Christopher Miller. “I’ve been here since 6 a.m. making scones.”
The Green River Café attracts local and national musical talent. Ben Folds and Wynton Marsalis have been spotted playing the Green River Café’s piano. Other musicians, including Michigan State University (MSU) jazz groups and shape note singers, use the Green River Café’s basement as a stage.
“We just left it raw,” says Jabara about the basement. “We wanted to give it that kind of New York lofty feel.”
The basement walls are covered in graffiti art that depicts New York nightlife. In the upstairs café, Jabara used recycled materials to create a unique international atmosphere.
Source: Jim Jabara, Green River Cafe
Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.
All Photographs © Dave Trumpie
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