It all started when Stephanie Lock of Rustic Tart inquired about selling her pie at our Flagship store in Lakeview. It wasn’t that we didn’t find her pie absolutely delightful, it’s that we believed that something happens when an artisanal product leaves the hands of its maker. We are coffee professionals, but leave the baking at home. The next day, Stephanie came back with the idea of pop-ups. Since then, we have had different pastry vendors come in to sell their products to our customers every Saturday and Sunday in Lakeview. We have seen awesome relationships grow out of this, and have benefitted in the cross over our vendor’s loyal fans.

What is a pop-up? Essentially, it’s a store within a store. In our case, our vendors are very independent from us. They handle all of their own payment procedures, and do not pay us to be in our space. We give them coffee, they give us treats, and we sell to the same customers. This simple idea has given us the chance to meet with all different types of people and expand our market.

We want to take the chance, now, to introduce you to our lovely vendors!

Firstly, Rustic Tart.

Stephanie Lock has been creating delicious tarts, savory and sweet, for us since the July after we opened our doors to the Lakeview East community. She introduced us to the idea of pop-up shops, and we can’t be more grateful! As we opened our second location that next February, Stephanie was ready to set-up shop there, as well, and has helped us with our Annual Holiday Market. She is known by the community for her friendliness, charming family, and delicious creations. We now carry Rustic Tart daily at our Lakeview location in the form of pies and ready to roll dough.