Meet Betsy Murdoch | Co-Owner and Managing Partner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Betsy Murdoch and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Betsy, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I always knew I wanted to own my own business one day. I come from a family of entrepreneurs, so it just seemed inevitable. I just never knew what that business would be. However, I was always one to follow my gut and never turn down new opportunities. Fast forward to 2016 when I was sitting down with friends/neighbors and discussing what we wish we had within our neighbor.hood. The main drawback we saw was the walkability. We didn’t have any where we could walk to and grab a cup of coffee or a bite to eat. Since I was currently working for a local coffee roaster and helping other cafes get up and running, my mind immediately went to coffee. Coffee is a catalyst for gatherings and conversations. Not too long after this casual conversation with my friends/neighbors and now business partners, the church we are located in now went up for sale. Just by fate, my business partner drove past the building, the doors were wide open, she walked in and it was a realtor looking to list the property. Immediately upon entering, she knew this was the space we were all yearning for. Before closing on the building, we canvassed the neighborhood and presented to associations with our idea and the feedback was unanimous, they all wanted the same thing. From closing to opening, it took us 4 years to make it all happen. We opened 10 days before the pandemic struck our state. And here we are, two and a half years in, we are thriving.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Congregation is a cafe and bar located in a former historic church. We have restored and converted this building to meet our needs for operation, all while trying to maintain the original beauty of the space. From restoring all the stained glass windows, inserting a giant window where a stained glass window once sat, restoring the original maple flooring, and trim work detail, we really wanted to highlight all of the natural beauty of the space.

During the construction phase, we did add a fairly large deck off the side of our building to host outdoor seating, as well as lead into our expansive greenspace. In the greenspace, we have surrounded it with an edible, biodynamic garden that our neighbors love to pick and snack on. In the center, we have picnic tables, bistro lighting and bonfires. This space is also the venue we host our outdoor yoga, farmers markets and live music events during the warmer months of the year.

Before we opened, I used to think I was opening this nice, quiet little coffee shop. Since opening 10 days before the pandemic, it gave me a whole different perspective. While restaurants were shut down for indoor dining, I hung out by myself for 3 months and just did carry out. During this time, I got to know so many of my neighbors and started to envision our space in a totally different way. Once we were able to start reopening, we started hosting events in the outdoor space. It made me realize that this type of space is very rare in our state since the season to utilize it is typically so short. Well, after a successful summer season, we kept the outdoor events going into the Fall and Winter. We started doing bonfires with s’mores and warm cocktail happy hours. We really wanted to continue to give people a place to go when there was no other option.

I always like to think of the pandemic in a positive way when it comes to our business. It definitely taught me patience, but it also taught me that we can always be evolving. There will never be the mindset of, “there is only one way to do it.” We are all learning. From our menu to our operations and to our events and programming. We really want to continue to mould to the need of our community.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Something that people don’t think about often with Detroit is all the access to nature that we have. We are on a large river that boarders another country. We have an island that is a state run park, bigger than Central Park in NYC. We are home to some of the biggest names in manufacturing, automotive and music in history. The architecture of our homes and buildings is some of the most beautiful you will ever see.

First I would say … tour, tour, tour! There are so many great, and mostly free, tours around Detroit.

We also have some of the best museums. Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Historical Museum, Henry Ford and Greenfield Village all top my list.

Food! There is so much food, I can’t even list my favorites. We have so many talented chefs and also so many different cultural influences all over the city. From delicious Greek, Hispanic, Polish, Italian and more. You can find literally anything you want in and I can guarantee it will be delicious.

Go to the river. Our riverfront is spectacular. There are many parks that line the riverfront and each other something different. From sand volleyball and bars, to playgrounds and splash pads, you will find anything and everything for your interests.

Belle Isle will forever be one of my favorite places. I enjoy being by the water and when you are on Belle Isle, its like you are vacationing up north. We love to take our dogs there to swim, but there is a large beach that people love to go out, set up a bbq and hang out all day. You can also check out the conservatory, the aquarium, the nature zoo, and more. There is so much to do on Belle Isle.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are way too many people who helped make this dream a reality. First and foremost, my business partners, Amy and Antonio and my husband, Mark. Without any of them, this would have never gone further than just a fun, casual conversation about all our hopes and dreams.

If it weren’t for the Build Institute program, I would have never been able to create a fully flushed business plan. Techtown’s Retail Bootcamp taught me so much about the operations of a small business from account software’s and payroll systems, to types of leases and insurance.

As for funding, Motor City Match awarded us with a large grant backed by Detroit Economic Growth Corporation and The City of Detroit. We were able to get a loan from Michigan Women Forward since we are majority women owned and Detroit Development Fund filled the rest of the gap.

And last, but definitely not least, our community. Our community support has been far more than I could have ever imagined. We are constantly evolving and learning all because of our neighbors. We are here for all of them and they have been there from us since day one.

Website: www.thecongregationdetroit.com

Instagram: instagram.com/thecongregationdetroit

Facebook: Facebook.com/thecongregationdetroit

Image Credits
https://www.akwysephotoanddesign.com