Vegetarian Restaurant Shuts Down, New Lounge Owner Fills Nightlife Gap

By Grand Rapids Press Wire

GRAND RAPIDS - The ever-shifting dining scene in Grand Rapids is getting another makeover as Gaia House Café closes its Creston neighborhood location at the end of March to make way for a new cocktail and hookah lounge.

The building at 1553 Plainfield Avenue NE was purchased last May by Allen Durham, a Grand Rapids native and former professional basketball player. Durham tells Crain's Grand Rapids Business that Andrea Bumstead, who revived the concept in 2021 after it originally closed in 2014, chose not to renew her lease.

Durham, who played at Grace Bible College before continuing his career overseas and in the NBA G-League, has spent time coaching locally including a role at Davenport University. He was recently named the new men's basketball coach at Kuyper College for the 2025-2026 season.

The space has deep roots in the city. Longtime locals might remember it as Gaia Cafe, a poetry and coffee house back in the 1980s before it eventually became a vegetarian restaurant in East Hills. After closing in 2014, it made a comeback in 2021 when longtime employee Bumstead relocated it to Creston Heights.

The eatery offered a vegetarian menu including salads, soups, sandwiches, breakfast items and desserts.

Durham tells Crain's that he now has something new in mind for the space. He's planning to open a cocktail and hookah lounge offering a more relaxed option that he says fills a gap in the local nightlife scene.

Downtown has breweries and things, but we don't have a kick-back lounge, a place where you can have a conversation, Durham said. It's either a brewery or a full-on nightclub, nothing really in between.

I think the event space will do really well in this area because it will be something affordable that everybody can use.

If all goes according to plan, renovations will begin soon, with the new bar and lounge expected to open by the end of the year.

The future of Gaia House Cafe is unknown at this point as Durham moves forward with his plans to transform the space into a new type of venue.

Durham's vision fills a gap he sees in the local nightlife, creating a more affordable alternative between breweries and full-scale nightclubs. The hookah lounge will offer a relaxed atmosphere where people can socialize and enjoy drinks in a comfortable setting.

Downtown has breweries and things, but we don't have a kick-back lounge, a place where you can have a conversation. It's either a brewery or a full-on nightclub, nothing really in between, Durham said. I think the event space will do really well in this area because it will be something affordable that everybody can use.

The transition marks another change in Grand Rapids' dynamic restaurant landscape, as Durham brings his background in sports and community leadership to the hospitality industry.

Sources

• Gaia House to close on Plainfield to make room for cocktail bar - Crain's Grand Rapids Business - https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/restaurants-1/vegetarian-restaurant-gaia-house-closes-creston-location-as-cocktail-bar-takes-over/
• Grand Rapids Vegetarian Restaurant to Close, New Cocktail Bar and Hookah Lounge Planned - WGRD - https://wgrd.com/grand-rapids-gaia-closing-hookah-lounge/