--- title: "Michigan Couple Set to Open New BIGGBY® COFFEE Location in Oscoda" url: https://burnaze.com/article/f3132ef7-67a2-4a1b-b023-d3d2151af3d7 source: "1851 Franchise" original_url: https://1851franchise.com/michigan-couple-set-to-open-new-biggby-coffee-location-in-oscoda-2722576 category: "Coffee & tea" industry: "Restaurants" segment: "Coffee & tea" topics: ["Development & multi-unit"] published: 2023-07-13T10:05:01.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T01:11:00.416Z image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/0f5354890f69ea675e5141a4512e84b18141.jpg --- # Michigan Couple Set to Open New BIGGBY® COFFEE Location in Oscoda **TL;DR:** Melanie and Jim Rowden are opening a new BIGGBY COFFEE location in Oscoda, Michigan. The couple is passionate about community involvement and plans to open a second location in the Tawas area if the first one is successful. *originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2023-07-13. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/michigan-couple-set-to-open-new-biggby-coffee-location-in-oscoda-2722576).* ## Story Melanie and Jim Rowden’s desire to be their own boss, while making a meaningful impact in their community of Oscoda, Michigan, has been a driving force for them. Their passion for community involvement led them to explore various business opportunities, which is when they discovered franchising with the Lansing, Michigan-based coffee concept BIGGBY COFFEE. After conducting thorough research, the Rowdens made the decision to pursue their dream and are now planning to open their very own BIGGBY COFFEE location in Oscoda later this summer. The couple’s dedication to community growth and prosperity is so strong that, despite still being in the early stages themselves, they are already considering a second location in the Tawas area. In an interview with 1851 Franchise, Melanie and Jim shared their insights on franchising and the reasons behind their decision to choose BIGGBY COFFEE. They were first introduced to the idea of franchising with BIGGBY COFFEE through Melanie's friend, who works for the company. The closest location to them was about an hour and a half away, so they went to visit it. They loved it. After doing some other research, they were impressed, and that's what pushed them to open their own location. - Melanie is a nurse by trade and has her master’s degree in nursing. - Jim has worked as a maintenance guy for the past 30 years for a factory in Oscoda. - Jim is also a drummer in a rock ‘n’ roll band called GROUNDED. They wanted an opportunity to give back to their community, so they started looking at different options, and that's when they discovered BIGGBY COFFEE. Melanie knew that franchising would be a lot of work, but she didn't understand just how much went into opening a franchise. Jim said that if you're not used to operating a franchise, it can be very overwhelming at first. But it's definitely doable, and you get a lot of support. The Rowdens picked BIGGBY COFFEE because they thought it was something that would do well in their area. They felt their community has been lacking something like BIGGBY COFFEE for a long time. There's one other coffee shop in their area, but it's nothing like this. Plus, BIGGBY COFFEE has really good drinks and food. It's a high-quality product that everyone in their community can enjoy at affordable prices. Jim said that their community is in need of new businesses. They really decided to do this so they could give back to their community. They've received an overwhelming amount of support from their community, which has been unbelievable. They're locals here, and BIGGBY COFFEE is a Michigan-based brand, which was another factor for them. They like the local aspect, and they can make an impact on their community by hiring people directly within the community. If all goes well with this first opening, their goal is to open a second location in the Tawas area. They both are focused on being able to embrace their community more. They want to meet everybody, know them by name and give back as much as possible. Even though they aren’t open yet, they’ve already sponsored a Veteran’s Memorial that’s going to be happening in June. They’ve already planned a fundraiser day for their grand opening, which will allow them to give back to certain organizations within their community. The community has been really good to them, so they want to give back. And there's no better way to do that than with BIGGBY COFFEE. They both have children. They really would like to leave their kids with the ability to continue to give back to the community. At the same time, they're building a lasting legacy for them. They want them to have choices in life. If you love it, pursue it and do it. If you can find something that you're passionate about, put your all into it and it won't feel like it's work. ## Entities - 1851 Franchise (publication) - Restaurants (sector) - unit expansion (topic) - franchising (topic) - community involvement (topic) - Biggby Coffee (company) - Oscoda (location) - Tawas (location) --- Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/michigan-couple-set-to-open-new-biggby-coffee-location-in-oscoda-2722576). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/f3132ef7-67a2-4a1b-b023-d3d2151af3d7).