It takes a fresh pair of eyes — or even better, two pairs — to see potential in the well-worn.
“I don’t think people understand what they have here in Iola. It’s very special,” said Myra Gleason of the Fillmore Coffee & Plant Café.
She and husband, Gabe, are recent transplants from Sacramento, California.
The couple have lived in Iola for less than a year. In that time, they opened the unique coffee shop that includes a small menu as well as houseplants.
This spring they announced opening Milk & Marrow, a drive-thru coffee and pastry shop on U.S. 169. They plan to break ground after July 4 in preparation for their September debut.
And in the last several weeks, they have begun gutting a long-vacated building at 105 W. Madison with plans to renovate the historic space into a venue that offers indulgent pastries, relaxing lounge areas and a unique culinary experience coupled with alcoholic beverages.
“Just don’t call it a bar,” said Gabe.
Which, after a walk-through of what the Gleasons have planned, is totally fair.
The building dates to the 1890s, according to Kurtis Russell, director of the Allen County Historical Society. Its many iterations over the years included a real estate and loan office, tailor shop, and until the 1970s as Wolf beauty and barber shop.
The couple have had their eyes on the project for months, Gabe said, but the knowledge that in the next few years Iola will be home to a bustling Lehigh Portland State Park turned their dreams into action.
“It’s good timing because once the state park is fully developed, everyone’s going to have a reason to visit Iola,” he said. “Up to now, there’s not been a huge pull to visit here. State parks are absolutely massive. People from all over the world and country are going to come visit.”
There’s not a moment to lose, he added.
“Once the state park opens, you’ll have to meet people where they’re at, not hint at things to come,” he said. “We have a small window of opportunity across the next two years to get Iola ready.”
Transfer of the land to the Kansas Department of Parks and Wildlife is on track to occur in July.
THE POSSIBILITIES extend beyond tourism.
