“Crepes, Coffee, Community,” is the motto of Streetside Creperie, a newer downtown cafe which opened in July.
“We really want to bring people here and create an intimate environment for them to get to know each other,” Waterson said.
They got news coverage the first weekend they opened, which helped them get the creperie on the map.
She said that she and Pearson chose to serve crepes because they are very versatile and any ingredient can be put into them.
They have a variety of sweet and savory crepes and the ingredients are, for the most part, locally grown.
Ham will be served regularly, but during the fall they are serving local greens, some root crops and apples.
In the spring, specifically April and May, they will bring in local fruits, such as blueberries and strawberries.
The café works with local farms in Arkansas, including Green Acres Farms – a USDA certified organic farm – and the Grass Roots Cooperative, which works with families in Arkansas to raise livestock and meat products sustainably.
They also work with Blue Sail Coffee, which sources from coffee companies in the coffee belt region.
There are a variety of people that come in: college students, the elderly after working out and families on the weekends. People even bring their dogs, since the business offers outdoor seating.
“It feels like we just filled a spot that nobody knew was vacant,” general manager Robert Addison said. “Like, ‘Oh yeah, that was supposed to be there before.’ That’s a lot of times what . . . a good innovation is. If you do it right, then people don’t really notice that it wasn’t there before.”
Images by Lauren Swaim.
