LOCAL COFFEE SHOP SAVED BY CITY SUPERHEROES -Hero Sightings Attract Tourists; Rescue Floundering Business from Corporate Takeover - By Kate Sunday, Staff Writer for Millennium Life Photos credit Chris Moad Three years ago, Stephen and Marcia Windhaus purchased the Grosse Pointe coffeehouse with high hopes of giving back to the community and making a better coffee. "Coffee is meant to be personal, not packaged off the assembly line and tossed your way," Mrs Windhaus said, as we spoke in the beverage aisle of the grocery store. Unfortunately, the Windhaus' dreams of lucrative lattes were nearly evaporated by the unforgiving milk-steamer of reality. The Starbucks across the street, citing long waits at the traffic light left turn lane as detering to customers, was determined to take over the Grosse Pointe Coffeehouse location to serve their northbound clientel. Grosse Pointe Coffeehouse employs fourteen Mill City residents, and offers shelter for local bohemians wishing to read poetry. But all that was in danger until Grosse Pointe resident Chris Moad snapped pictures of well-known Millenial Men hero Gravitic standing in front of the distinctive old wood counter with several cups of coffee in hand! (See cover photo) The photos, which included several of the charismatic Gravitic enjoying coffee with fellow Mill Man and working-class advocate Rook, as well as an as yet unidentified blonde heroine, quickly found their way onto internet superhero fan sites. The easily identifiable location and close proximity of photographer to the heroes quickly placed Grosse Pointe Coffeehouse on the map for hero-watching tourists. Moad expresses high hopes that his photos of the green-costumed woman will become collectors items, claiming them as the first public appearance of a cute new addition to Millenium City's supers-scene. Reacting to this amazing response from the community - one which has allowed their struggling coffee business to deny the Seattle-based Starbucks' buy-out offer - Stephen Windhaus is optimistic. Plans to entice local heroes to stopping in by offering sanctioned 'capes' free coffee are in the works. "The bottom line for any business person is that consumers will chose the product they feel has the best value--real or perceived. It is up to the business to offer that value, and the ones who do will win and successfully compete--even against Starbucks!" Windhaus said, standing proudly in front of his full-to-capacity coffeeshop. (Photo at left) Visitors seemed unbothered by rumors that the heroes were present as part of a local murder investigation: "If there's crime, that means there's heroes!" One enthusiastic shutterbug from Pittsburg was quoted as saying. [The final page of the article contains a full-spread picture of a smiling waitress in a Grosse Pointe apron handing coffee to the three heroes. The caption reads: Grosse Pointe Coffeehouse received over two hundred employment applications in recent weeks. They are no longer hiring.]