EDGEWATER — Andersonville's A Taste of Heaven bakery and café is considering opening a new location — in the landmark pink Edgewater Beach Apartments building.
Owner Dan McCauley took to social media Saturday to garner feedback on his plan to move to the location once held by Anna Held Floral Studio in the building at 5555 N. Sheridan Road at the busy corner of Sheridan and Bryn Mawr.
McCauley recently met with the co-op building's board of directors to pitch his idea, which would include opening a diner that would serve breakfast, lunch, dinner and an array of baked goods and drinks.
A long-time customer who lives in the pink building urged McCauley to check out the retail space, which has been vacant since the flower shop moved down the block.
At first reluctant, McCauley said he left a showing with a gut feeling it would be his restaurant's new home.
"It's really funny how it has that kind of magic, that charisma — I can't even explain it," he said. "The minute I opened the door it was like, 'I'm going to be opening here.'"
The "sunset pink" Edgewater building was completed in 1928 as a complement to the historic "sunrise yellow" former Edgewater Beach Hotel down the block.
In 1994, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It also sits in the Bryn Mawr Historic District.
Though the hotel was torn down in the late 1960s, the co-op building survived and has become a symbol of the neighborhood.
At its ground-floor, it houses a handful of small businesses in storefront shops, such as the old flower shop.
Early renderings of A Taste of Heaven in the Edgewater Beach Apartments. [Provided/Dan McCauley]
It's still too early to say if an Edgewater location would be in addition to or replace its current 5401 N. Clark St. location, McCauley said.
In Andersonville, he's facing stiff competition from an abundance of other coffee shops and cafés on Clark Street, many concentrated within just a few blocks, he said.
Though historically he saw a yearly increase of 4-5 percent in sales, last year his numbers didn't go up. That trend is continuing this year, too.
Though his profits aren't necessarily falling, they're not rising either — but rent in Andersonville is, he said.
At the Edgewater Beach Apartments, McCauley said he would save at least $5,000 a month on business expenses, and the co-op would contribute to some of the construction costs, such as air conditioning and plumbing. He would also aim for a 30-year lease, he said.
"As new businesses keep opening, our business is being affected," the owner said. "Last year was the first year in 27 years that I've been in business that our numbers did not increase at all. Our sales are flattened because now there's more options in the neighborhood."
To bring his project to life, however, McCauley said he needs to fill a financial gap of between $100,000-150,000 to make the move and bring the Edgewater space up to code. He is currently working on putting together a Kickstarter campaign, and seeking public funds set aside for small businesses.
The level of the campaign's success will help influence what happens with A Taste of Heaven in the meantime.
The Clark Street diner still has four years left on its lease, but McCauley said he could maximize his profits best now by selling the remaining years off. Or, he could keep it going for a while and maintain the cash flow, he said.
At least two other businesses are also trying to take over the Edgewater space, he said: a GoGrocer and a bar/restaurant.
He thinks his restaurant would best serve the neighborhood and hundreds of residents who live in the co-op building above.
"That's what the neighborhood needs, is a place to stop and have an inexpensive meal when you don't feel like going out, when you don't feel like getting dressed up and heading to Clark Street or Mia Francesca's, but you want a nice simple meal" like pot roast, or corned beef hash, he said.
McCauley's vision for the space includes a color scheme of buttercream, ivory and tan with a bronze-colored old fashioned tin ceiling and decorated with school house pendants to provide a "pale amber glow from the outside to contrast with the cool pink and gray" exterior.
He would keep the room's marble and onyx soda bar, but move it to the other side of the room.
St. Andrew's Greek Orthodox Church just up the block would likely rent its parking lot for customers to use, he said.
Though not a done deal, McCauley said he has a deep respect for both neighborhoods but also has fallen in love with the astounding pink building and hopes to set down long-term roots there.
"I think it's a very viable location, I just think it's not been utilized," he said. "People say, 'Oh no, it can't work' ... but if we have more established businesses on Sheridan Road like A Taste of Heaven, then it's going to benefit that corridor, and it's going to benefit the residents that live there."
Lickity Split Frozen Custard using the flower shop last summer for community events. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
The room sits at the base of the landmark Edgewater Beach Apartments building. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
