Retail and cafe project work on Main Street to begin in July in Benton Harbor

Clifford’s Perennial & Vine has been planning a retail operation combined with a cafe for some time and now it’s settled on a location.

The project, Clifford’s Botanical Cafe and Garden, will be at 619 Main Street in downtown Benton Harbor. Owner Ken Clifford says he explored a variety of locations before deciding to on Main Street.

Plans call for the new business to be a showplace for the plants and horticultural related products the company sells and a spot to get premium coffee, imported teas and locally grown and produced food. The cafe will begin by offering breakfast and in phases introduce lunch and dinner menus.

The renovation project also will involve the creation of living space and construction is expected to get under way in July. Abonmarche Consultants, Inc. and Cornerstone Alliance are assisting Clifford’s with the project.

When the store and cafe open, it is expected the project will create eight to 10 jobs.

Clifford’s Perennial and Vine is a wholesaler of finished, potted perennials. Its operations are headquartered in Paw Paw, Mich. and it has a second nursery in Lewisburg, Tenn.  

Clifford’s has 40 years experience supplying plants in the Great Lakes Region. It offers landscape design, green roof design and installation and even has a koi hatchery for those who want the fish for their pond.

“We are really looking forward to joining the growing number of businesses making the decision to locate along Main Street Benton Harbor,” says Clifford.

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media
Source: Jamie Balkin, Cornerston Alliance