New coffee shop, bakery to open downtown
By JENNIFER WILSON
News editor
Have you been dying for an icy-cold mocha latte?
Would a frothy Irish cream cappuccino satisfy your taste buds?
Whether you're a coffee connoisseur or order yours "black, no sugar, no cream," you might find just what you're looking for at a new Hillsboro coffee shop.
It's called "Little Pleasures," and it's set to open in downtown Hillsboro next month.
Little Pleasures will reside on North Main, taking the space right next to Lagniappe. The owner of the coffeehouse/bakery/gathering place is Marisa Root, a newcomer to the Hillsboro area.
Root's roots are quite a bit west of Kansas — she grew up in Hawaii. Oahu, to be exact. When people ask her how she got to the sunflower state, her first answer is "a very big plane."
Actually, Root met her husband, Monty, while both of them were working in the Marshall Islands. There she worked for a large food company.
"That's when I really found a niche in the food industry," Root said.
The couple got married four years ago, and they later moved to the Marion County area. They own a home in Lehigh.
Root first met Terri Allen, the owner of Lagniappe, through a mutual friend, she said. Root went through the open space north of Allen's store, with its loft-like surroundings and small kitchen, and saw its potential. That was January of this year.
Root then talked with Megan Kilgore of the Hillsboro Management Board and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to see if her plans for a small bakery and coffee house would work. She also talked to many people around Hillsboro to see what the residents wanted.
"Anybody who would walk in the door, I'd ask," Root said.
Right now she's waiting for a brand-new kitchen to be built in the back — it should be done by mid-August, she said. But the serving area is already there, as are the tables and chairs and a comfy couch. More couches and books will arrive in the future.
The shop will offer a variety of items, from coffees and specialty beverages to cookies on a stick and cake bars. Root also plans to bring an "island influence" with Hawaiian coffees and macadamia nuts in her baked goods. She's also experimenting with low-sugar recipes for diabetics.
She wants to tailor her services to her customers.
"I'll rely on Hillsboro to tell me what they want," Root said.
Normal operating hours will be the same as Lagniappe — 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. But Root is willing to open the shop up in the evenings for groups such as Bible studies or casual get-togethers.
Also in the future, Root may hold live music nights, to "do something in the evenings for college groups," she said. One day she might even serve light lunches.
Root hopes that her shop will be more than just a place to buy coffee — that it will be a gathering place, she said.
