After nearly three years as a Downtown Farmville business, the owners and manager of Poplar Hall Antique Center, LLC and Flea Market are expanding the store’s operations to include a café.
According to Dianne Bozarth, who owns the building and business with her husband Nathan, plans for The Café at Poplar Hall have been in the works for about a year. The café is projected to open in three to four weeks.
Bozarth said that most of the major amenities have been taken care of, and there is simply some “fine tuning” to be completed before the opening of the Main Street business.
The primary preparation included adding the kitchen and refinishing the floors. While she and her husband have not yet hired servers, she said they are looking for a “first class staff.”
As for the inspiration behind the café, Bozarth said, “People who come to Farmville obviously are looking for a nice place to have a bite to eat, and we wanted to encourage people to come into the shop, as well.”
Bozarth added, “We hope that we’ll be an asset for the schools [Longwood University and Hampden-Sydney College] as well as the town, being a really nice place for someone to come in and eat.”
She said the team at Poplar Hall Antique Center would like to “encourage [Farmville area students] to come to this part of town” during their lunch time.
Sandra Brown, manager of the antique center and cafe, thinks the café could be a “big draw” to students with visiting family members, as she has noticed that many restaurants are crowded during events such as Family Weekend and believes students could benefit from having another restaurant option.
Brown referred to the addition of the café as an “enhancement” of the store’s current offerings. She has experience working in restaurants and cafés similar to the The Café at Poplar Hall.
Bozarth and Brown said that while the café will be open for breakfast, lunch and possibly early dinner, the operating hours are not set in stone yet.
However, Bozarth said groups will be able to request off-site catering at various times as well as book one of the building’s rooms for special occasions after hours.
Bozarth said there will be plenty of room for events as the building consists of three levels. She mentioned that it is a historical structure that was hit by a cannonball fired across the Appomattox River during the Civil War. She said passerby can still see where it hit the building. The Bozarths originally chose the space because they “were attracted to this building; we like older buildings, and we like
Farmville.” Bozarth said she and Nathan have “gradually” renovated the building, as they live in Northern Virginia but visit the business often.
According to Brown, the new café will have indoor and outdoor dining areas, a serve line, a commercial kitchen and a social area with a leather sofa and club chairs.
Brown said the café’s menu items will include Panini sandwiches, club sandwiches, Reuben sandwiches, crab cakes, salads, homemade soups and desserts, pasta salad, coffee, tea and perhaps beer and wine. Café- goers will also find “quick grab” items in a cold case holding items such as chicken and tuna salad as well as snacks for hikers.
Bozarth added that smoothies will be available for purchase. Ice cream will also be a possible menu item.
For customers who do not want to eat a full meal and simply want to socialize or take a break, Brown said they are more than welcome to relax in the social area and enjoy tea and a danish.
Brown added, “More than anything, we want people to feel comfortable and welcome.”
