A new coffee shop is coming to the Elmwood Village. Perks is packing up from its two downtown locations (Main/Broadway) in order to concentrate its offerings. General Manager Julie Leone says that Elmwood is perfectly situated for the business, as she intends to concentrate on extended days and longer hours. She told me that she will miss her Downtown regulars, but feels that Elmwood offers an immediate chance to grow with the residential neighborhood environment.
Perks is in the midst of transforming the former Coffee Culture corner (at Bryant) into a warmer and more welcoming version of its former self. “This block needs a coffee shop,” Julie pointed out. “It’s a growing part of Elmwood, and we’re excited to do our part to create a positive addition to the neighborhood. I eat and shop here all the time. I feel that it’s a perfect fit.”
Perks’ assistant manager Darcie Rosinski (photo – right) joined in by saying, “We have a small crew of devoted employees that care about our customers. We are so exited, and feel that our customers will recognize the effort that we are putting into this place.”
While Perks will offer breakfast foods (café style) all day long, it should be noted that a number of their crowd favorites are bagel sandwiches, hummus, fruit smoothies, Nutella croissants, the turkey Reuben, selection of loose leaf teas, milkshakes (the espresso shake!), and the fresh brewed iced tea. Julie is currently sourcing the best fresh bagels in town, though she says that almost everything else is made from scratch in the café.
The new location allows Perks to expand upon its catering operation, along with the types of meals that it prepares. “We’re baking all day long,” Julie told me. “From the brownies to the peanut butter cookies, we have a following of people who love our baked goods. We’re going to do our best to transform this place from a corporate looking coffee shop to something that is more neighborhood friendly. We’re perfecting Perks, and we anticipate to expand our offerings thanks to the space and the equipment that are now available to us. There’s a better flow here… we have an ice maker, and readily accessible storage… everything that we need to build a business that we can be proud of.”
Perks Café and Market will open in early February.