SPRINGFIELD — Five years ago, the City of Springfield received a unique Valentine’s gift: Lovely Cafe at 349 Main St., an earthy corner cafe tucked into the side of Springfield’s downtown.
Opening just months before the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered small businesses nationwide, the cafe has since found its footing, so much so that it eyes an expansion into a more prominent location.
“We’re going to add lots of jobs and expand our community, and be able to offer more parking, more activities, more family-friendly things, as well as just space to breathe,” said Sarah Alder, owner of Lovely. “We’re going from having about eight part-time employees right now to a projected 25 full-time employees.”
Lovely, with its retro floors and cozy dining space, is renovating its new location at the bookend of Main Street, previously occupied by Swallowtail Bar & Venue, which had been open since 2019 and had its last day on Sept.17.
Troy Slonecker, the landlord of the 111 Main St. building, said several issues led to Swallowtai’s eviction.
Slonecker said that Kevin Barrett, Swallowtail owner, had defaulted on a loan in January. “A lender put a foreclosure on the building because of the missed loan payments without telling me about it,” he said, which resulted in Slonecker paying $11,000 on that loan.
“It was the missed rent payments. The building wasn’t being used the way it was originally intended. It was the missed loan payments,” Slonecker said. He specifically stated that part of the building was supposed to be a distillery in the initial business plan, but Barrett did not follow through with making that happen.
Barrett did not respond to The Chronicle’s attempts to seek comment.
When word of the newly available location spread, Alder saw it as a perfect solution to the businesses’ growing pains.
Alder also said she has contacted frequent customers, city officials, and community members to get feedback on how best to see the new space.
One of the businesses’ long-time customers, Amelia Gyde, said that she hopes they can incorporate outside seating to welcome more people into the cafe. Gyde is excited about the shop’s move and said she will continue to support them in their new location.
“It’s just a wonderful community space. And the food’s good, the coffee’s terrific,” Gyde said.
Alder said they gave the outside a makeover right off the bat to establish a new aesthetic for the building.
“We painted the building immediately, which was very intentional because dark is not really on brand for us,” she said. We knew we needed to lighten it up.”
Before Lovely moved in, the building was a dark gray-ish blue color with swallowtail butterflies painted on the side along with the name of the business. It currently just has a white base coat of paint right now.
“I know that people are upset about it, and I understand where they’re coming from,” Alder said, adding that she looks at the new paint job as an evolution of the building and hopes to work with students at the Academy of Arts and Academics High School to paint a new mural that matches what Lovely represents. She doesn’t have an exact vision in mind right now, but is excited about the opportunity to decorate the outside of her business.
Lovely plans to open its doors at 111 Main St. in March 2025 and will remain open at its current location until the move.