Another new restaurant plans to open in the next month in the downtown area, this one aiming to revitalize a section of our town along with pulling delicious baked goods out of the oven.
Lula Jane's will be a bakery and coffee shop on Elm Street, just a block off of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. I spoke with proprietor Nancy Grayson and her assistant John Sterchi about the project this morning. They're looking to open at the end of this month or early November and hope to create a relaxed dining-in environment.
Grayson, who helped found and grow Rapoport Academy in the same neighborhood, wanted to bring a thriving business to the area after she retired from running the academy.
"I didn't know this is what I would do, but I wanted to do something for this area," Grayson said. "The people in this neighborhood are good people. We're going to have indoor and outdoor seating, a garden and a park and we want people to gather together and feel a sense of community."
Grayson hopes the bakery will be successful enough to attract other businesses to open in the neighborhood. Given the new Baylor football stadium going up a short walk away, it's a pretty good bet Grayson is making.
As for the baked goods, Grayson said Lula Jane's will offer some healthy choices, but won't shy away from the more decadent bakery flavors, including what she called a "high-octane" sweet roll.
Lula Jane's, which will open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday, will have a plate lunch option every day, though Grayson said it won't be a deli or cafe. The lunch items will be meatless.
As for coffee, Lula Jane's will serve a gourmet cup at a price of around $2. But they'll also have a 50-cent cup of coffee available at the honors-system coffee bar, which Grayson said she's looking forward to as a sociological experiment.
Just so everyone can keep track of the coffee offerings headed to the downtown area, Lula Jane's will be a bakery and coffee shop, Dichotomy will offer third-wave coffee and spirits — and also will soon be bringing a coffee bar to the Croft Art Gallery — while Crepe & Roasters will be coffee and crepes. That's along with existing Trailhead at Outdoor Waco and Legacy Cafe & Art Gallery.
This has to be good for downtown and Waco in general.
