LAKEVIEW — A neighborhood cafe and flower shop is opening a second location — but with longer hours and more space.
The Flower Flat, 620 W. Addison St., will be opening Fennel and Iris at 1652 W. Belmont Ave. in early December, said owner Betsy Mikelson, 53.
The menu will be the same simple comfort food that The Flower Flat offers, she said — French press coffee, eggs, waffles and sandwiches for breakfast and lunch. Fennel and Iris will also offer specials and a kid's menu with items like chocolate bread sandwiches with peanut butter, Mikelson said.
Fennel and Iris may start doing three-course prix fixe dinners on weekdays, a constantly adjusted menu that The Flower Flat serves only Friday nights.
"It's just sort of middle American," she said. "Everything you've always eaten, but with my twist."
Mostly, Mikelson was looking for more space.
Since The Flower Flat opened nearly five years ago, she has seen increased demand to hold bridal and baby showers at the space. With room for less than 30 people, she started looking for new spots with her sister Kathy, 52, who moved to Chicago from New Jersey to help with the new venture.
Mikelson, who used to work in catering, now works as a flight attendant during the week and opens The Flower Flat on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
But with Kathy in town, Fennel and Iris will be able to open during the week from Tuesdays through Sundays, Betsy Mikelson said.
The space will be decorated to look cozy and homey, and hooks and a clothes line are set up so that customers can add their own decorating pizzazz, Mikelson said.
"The Flower Flat is a little more on the quirkier side," Mikelson said. "Fennel and Iris still has that, but you walk in and you feel like you're in someone's home."
