Grounds For Thought on Main Street has many attention grabbers – the list of specialty coffees, the out-of-town newspapers, the shelves upon shelves of books and the treats towards the front. However, there is much more to this coffee house than meets the eye.

For instance, the shelves of books consist of close to 175,000 books, with roughly 1,000 new books coming into the shop every week, making it the largest used book store from Columbus to Ann Arbor. And owner Kelly Wick said he wants even more.

‘I wanna smash as many books in here as possible,’ he said.

The special coffee drinks sold at the front of the store include the Elvis, a blend of peanut butter and banana with whipped cream, and the Marilyn Monroe, consisting of white chocolate and macadamia nut. Both drinks were invented by members of ‘the crew’ who work there. Among other specialty titles are the melted snowman and the Lochness monster.

‘We think a coffee shop needs to have something unique to keep people coming back,’ Wick said.

Grounds For Thought was opened in 1989 by Wick and his wife Laura, who wanted a place for themselves.

‘We wanted to create a place where we’d like to go,’ Wick said. ‘There weren’t many coffee shops in Bowling Green in the ’80s.’

Grounds For Thought not only serves as one of Bowling Green’s biggest coffee shops, Wick said, but it also acts as a meeting place.

‘I feel the coffee shop acts like a community center in Bowling Green,’ he said. ‘Lots of clubs meet here, including the Knitting Club and Chess Club, and there are many meetings held here.’

The coffee house attracts many different audiences, including Samantha King, a junior at Bowling Green High School.

‘I came here today because of a sore throat,’ King said yesterday. ‘I thought a cup of tea and a good book would help.’

King said she is not a frequent Grounds-goer, but likes the coffee shop because of the atmosphere.

‘It’s not quiet, but it’s enjoyable,’ she said.

There are many reasons for people to keep going to Grounds For Thought, including their selection in books, movies and records – a reason which first enticed community members Colleen Jenkins and Ryan Minnick to enter the shop.

‘Not a lot of places in Bowling Green sell records,’ Minnick said.

Wick believes the reason for Grounds’ popularity is that everybody loves to read and sit in the coffee house.

‘I think one of the things that keeps people coming in is the ability to cross boundaries,’ he said. ‘Age boundaries are always crossed, we have people in here from a young age like high school, throughout the day it changes as the retirees stop by, professors and grad students, we get everybody.’

In 1992, Grounds started brewing their own coffee. The coffee is brewed around the corner from the shop at a store called Wholesale Specialty Roaster, which roasts coffee beans from all over the world every day, said David Breen, an 11-year coffee roaster.

After the beans are roasted, Breen mixes in the different flavors people enjoy and creates the final result.

‘As a roaster I determine the final product,’ he said. ‘I use my eyes, ears and especially my nose to get a good idea of when the beans are done.’

Coffee is then provided to local stores in town, including Easy Street Caf’eacute;, Sam B’s, Nelly’s Deli and even Tony Paco’s in Toledo. Individuals can even order coffee for delivery as long as it’s over two pounds.

Grounds For Thought also has a concert series once a month where they bring in outside talent.

This Tuesday at 8 p.m. there will be Little Cow, a band from Hungary that just performed at the Black Swamp Arts Festival.

‘We try to get some additional talent to come to Bowling Green,’ he said. ‘Just because you haven’t heard of it, don’t be scared. We try and present new talent.’

Grounds For Thought shows are always free and open to all ages. Wick said the shows usually attract about 300 people.

Wick said the coffee shop basically has something for everyone, from a place to enjoy music to books and good company. And if that’s not enough, there are always coffee shop romances.

‘It seems like every year there’s a different couple who met in here who ended up getting married,’ he said. ‘It’s because people always feel like you can be yourself in the coffee house.’