Florer hopes to turn old Walker County Jail into spot for food and art

Oct. 24—HUNTSVILLE — Surrounded by tattered ceilings, peeling walls and stripped bare floors, Elizabeth Florer sits calmly in the midst of chaos, looking out and seeing nothing but possibilities in a place where for decades, many saw none.

Built in 1935, the old Walker County Jail, where many criminals met the end of their lives, has remained untouched for decades, since being replaced by a new facility in the 1980s. Businesses have come and gone through the years, and since sitting stagnant and forgotten for the better part of the last decade, the historic building is getting a second chance with Florer and her family.

Could it be haunted? Possibly. Does she care? No. On the off-chance of lingering spirits, Florer casually brushes off the thought, noting that it's nothing that a smudging and a blessing can't fix.

Florer is the type of person that seems drawn to adventure in pursuit of the unknown, with big dreams and an incomparable resilience. Obstacles in her path are welcome challenges, but this one might be one of her biggest yet to overcome.

Florer first found out about the jail from her friends and owners of Farmhouse Furniture and Gifts, Justin and Anthony Killingsworth, who initially planned to turn the jail into the new location of their boutique. The duo had initially asked Florer to help make it a destination by parking her food truck outside, however, when they found a better fit at the old Gibbs bank on the downtown square, Florer followed her heart for impulse and adventure to take on the project of reviving the old Walker County Jail.

"We had been wanting a base anyway to have a commercial kitchen in a building and we thought, well if we can get past the roughness of it, this would make a great place for a cafe or something," Florer said.

Within less than a week's time, she went from having sworn off another brick and mortar since shuttering her Pita Pit franchise over a year ago, to diving into a project that would put most in over their heads. Not only was she committing to another brick and mortar, but the headache of an extensive and costly remodel that would need to be done. However, it was her marriage to a contractor that gave her the confidence to take on the project, as well as her draw to the history and uniqueness of the building.

"A lot of people wouldn't think it was fun to have a jail, but I liked the opportunity to do something different with it and the opportunity to be in a historic building," Florer said.

The building is comprised of two floors, with the inmates' jail cells on the second floor, while the ground level is said to have been where the warden lived, with a small, secured room squared off where visitation took place. As such, the first floor is laid out like a house with a fully kitchen ready to be put to use and ample space for tea parties, casual conversation or art shows.

While the upstairs cell area will remain sealed to the public due to its drastic state, the downstairs will be open to the community as a full-fledged cafe, art gallery and tea room, leaning into the spirit of its jailhouse roots.

In respect to their mission and in ode to her daughter's nickname, the business will rebrand as the C.A.T. Cafe. However, contradictory to what the name suggests, you won't find any felines here.

"These nine-foot ceilings are screaming for art," Florer said, adding that she plans to install conduit bars throughout the interior to hang art from. "I can just see an art explosion in here, I mean really colorful and a chance for people to enjoy it along with their coffee, for artists to be able to display for sale or maybe have a show for themselves."

The cafe will be a representation of Florer and her two daughters, as well as their family history, recreating some of her grandmother's recipes from the 1940's that have never been tasted by the community before. Now that they are making their way onto the menu, Florer thinks her grandmother would get a great laugh knowing they were being served out of a historic jail.

Classic tea ceremonies and parties will be available to schedule, while the cafe itself will be open to serve the community day-to-day with food items $6 or under, fresh and different from anything in the area, serving coffee, bubble tea, family recipes, breakfast burritos and appetizer style lunches.

"It's this weird mish-mash, but it's all things we feel are fantastic," Florer said.

She's vying for the spot of Huntsville's best chicken salad. However, it's her daughter's famous deviled eggs and alcohol infused cupcakes that Florer says are always a show stopper. The goat cheese bombs are also notable, rolled with herbs and dredged in cranberries, pecans and parsley with a honey drizzle to top it off.

"Not only do they taste really amazing, but they're good for you," Florer said.

While the jail continues to undergo renovations, Florer's 30-foot Buzzed Cup food bus will be stationed outside and open for service in the meantime, raising money to fund the repairs through food sales. Once the cafe is complete, hopefully in December, Florer will be looking for a secondary location to operate The Buzzed Cup.

To encourage sales, sweets are priced at $1 a piece, $3 for savory appetizers and $6 for lunch size entrees. Free delivery is being offered on a trial basis, depending on customers' generosity in tipping the driver.

The Buzzed Cup and future C.A.T. Cafe are located at 1012 University Avenue in Huntsville, and is currently open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.