New cafe, bakery coming to Missoula’s Old Sawmill District
By David Erickosn/Missoulian
The owner of Loose Caboose Espresso is opening a sit-down cafe and bakery in the Old Sawmill District in the heart of Missoula near Silver Park.
Malcolm Lowe said the new cafe, called The Dog & Bicycle Bakery Cafe, will be located on the ground floor of the Polleys Square A condominium building that is under construction on Wyoming Street. He hopes the 1,100-square-foot space will be open by August.
The cafe will provide the original espresso blend that Lowe’s five other drive-up locations serve, as well as light lunches including soups, sandwiches and quiche. Lowe said the bigger space will allow for a wider range of brewing methods and coffee varietals than at the drive-ups.
He also said the cafe will have a whimsical design and hopes it will serve as a social focal point for the new neighborhood.
“Imagine a touch of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ meets industrial steampunk,” he said.
The cafe will occupy the only commercial space available in the four Polleys Square buildings. Polleys Square A and B are currently under construction.
“We are hoping to be the focus point of the new, coming community,” Lowe said. “We’ve been wanting to have a sit-down location for a lot of years. Higgins (Avenue) seems pretty well peppered with coffee shops, so this is a great opportunity to be a part of a new neighborhood.”
Lowe and his business partner and Caboose supervisor Megan O’Dell will at first hire 10 employees for the new location.
Ed and Leslie Wetherbee, the developers of Polleys Square, said they are excited to have the new cafe move into the Old Sawmill District.
“When we started talking to Malcolm and Megan about the possibilities, we knew they would be a perfect fit,” said Leslie Wetherbee. “It was exactly what we wanted for the neighborhood.”
Lowe said because the neighborhood will be welcome to pedestrians, bicyclists and dogs, the cafe will tie in the vibrant and fun atmosphere.
“It has always been part of our mission to build community through coffee,” Lowe said, “We see this as the perfect opportunity to do just that.”
A former industrial site near the Clark Fork River just south of California Street, the Old Sawmill District could see as much as $250 million in investment during the next 10 years, starting with the high-end condos.
Homeword Inc., a local nonprofit, is building a 26-unit affordable housing complex on the west end of the site, and Lolo Peak Brewing Co. plans to build an 8,000-square-foot brewpub and restaurant near Ogren-Allegiance Park.
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