The former Buzz Cafe space at 905 S. Lombard Ave. Oak Park will open anew as Blackberry Market in late spring or early summer. The Market has four other suburban locations with counter-order, family-friendly, high-quality vibes.
“I’ve considered Oak Park many times,” said Anna Davidson, CEO and founder. “I really love the community. It’s such a good fit for our brand.”
Local social media has been in a whirl since the announcement. Posts reveal that people are looking especially forward to the cinnamon rolls and chicken salad from Blackberry Market, which Davidson said are their top sellers. She said those “put us on the map.”
Davidson started the business in 2012.
“I was a mom with three young kids who lived in Glen Ellyn,” she said. “I also had a huge passion for food. I knew nothing about running a business, but I knew as a mom what I wanted. I wanted a place I could go; I could bring my kids; I could meet up with friends. But it still had really high quality, excellent handmade food.”
To that end, all food sold in the markets are made from scratch, according to Davidson. Blackberry Market has a centralized commercial kitchen that creates many of the items, but baked goods are put in the oven at each store. That central kitchen has allowed the brand to expand to spaces that don’t have large kitchen facilities, such as the Buzz Café space.
“It’s given us a little more flexibility in what we can do,” Davidson said. “We really love being in the path of the everyday customer, the people who live, work, go to school right nearby. And I think that location really lends itself to that.”
The market will be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., starting with breakfast sandwiches, toast, croissants, biscuits and more. Lunch includes seven sandwich options, four salads and two soups. Grab and go options are available too.
Coffee is from Intelligentsia.
“We have a really strong catering program too,” Davidson said. “We do a special menu for holidays. We like being part of your gatherings in as many ways as possible. And the objective is to take the pressure off people and give them time to enjoy themselves, enjoy the people they love.”
The plan is to make cosmetic changes to the space, to align it with the Blackberry Market brand.
“We’re going to do a few things, some furniture, a little bit of updating some equipment, but the bones of the store will remain the same. And we’re very excited about the back patio.”