A new coffee shop is proposed to take the space of the former Rich's House of Cakes in Greenfield
A new coffee shop with a bent toward building business connections is being proposed for the site of a former cake shop on South 27th Street in Greenfield.
Cultura Cafe, a coffee, tea and juice bar, is being eyed for the former Rich's House of Cakes space at 4353 S. 27 St.
Two couples, Cristina Villanueva and Oscar Sanchez, along with Laura Martinez and Michael Karolewicz, would be the owners.
Cristina Villanueva said it would be a place where a customer could sit down and have coffee, but the vision is also to have the cafe be a place to make business connections or indicate an openness to having a conversation.
"I just think that, with COVID happening, it definitely took us away from those communications and being able to socialize with others, and I think that this is a good way to bring that back," Villanueva said. "It's knowing that we are here to support each other. We're here to allow ourselves to be able to share our knowledge and opportunities or what we have with others."
Villanueva, who runs a financial services business out of the building's upstairs suite, said exactly what that would look like is still being determined, but the idea would be for a person to have a sign they can display with their name, occupation and that they're open to conversation.
"I don't think anybody (in the area) has it, or I've never seen it anywhere else, so I'm bringing this concept to see if it works out, and if it does, I hope more coffee shops start introducing it," she said.
The Greenfield Plan Commission on Aug. 9 recommended approval of the coffee shop City Planner Andrew Stern said.
The name of the business is listed as "Alba Coffee Shop" in city documents; Villanueva said the name change to "Cultura" occurred after paperwork was submitted.
The 1,800-square-foot shop would feature coffee, espresso, teas, fresh juices and smoothies. It would also offer fresh salads, including a make your own option, and hot and cold sandwiches.
A highlight of the coffee shop is expected to be outside, where Villanueva said a mural is planned to illustrate the concept of cultures coming together and women's empowerment.
"It's going to be done by local artists, and the artists are going to be women," she said. "We started to do advertising for that on Facebook. We got so many responses from artists that want to join and come together on this project, so that is going to be a total highlight."
Proposed hours for the shop are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekends, according to city documents.
An existing deck on the building will be used for outdoor seating, but it needs work, according to the city.
A building inspector's report said the deck doesn't meet structural codes and will need to be rebuilt. Plans are to rebuild the deck to the same size and in the same location, according to the proposal.
Work will have to be done inside the building as well, Villanueva said.
She said they hope to open by October.
The proposal is expected to go to the city's common council for a public hearing Sept. 20.
Contact Bob Dohr at 262-361-9140 or bob.dohr@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BobDohr1.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New coffee shop with a limited food menu proposed for Greenfield
