Springfield eateries find new homes on Main Street 

As Lovely cafe, a healthy eatery in downtown Springfield, outgrew its space and moved, the vacancy made room for a new gluten-free bakery to move in.

Lovely opened in 2019 in a small storefront at the corner of Fourth and Main streets, and relocated three blocks west earlier this year. Now, Estelle Bakery has opened its first brick-and-mortar cafe in the old space.

“We wanted to keep the corner because we loved it so much,” said Sarah Adler, who started Lovely with her husband, Josh Matthews. “But also the idea of letting someone else have it, who would bring something to the neighborhood that would help, was our next goal.”

She said having a gluten-free bakery on Main Street brings a new group of people downtown.

“And that’s so important for any downtown, to have diversity in customers and to have multiple reasons to come downtown,” Adler said.

The ‘all day cafe’

With the move to 111 Main St., Lovely grew from 900 to 4,000 square feet, not including the cafe’s outdoor courtyard. The extra space means more seating, a growing menu, greater production space and expanded hours. The business also grew from five employees to 22. 

“One of our big goals is to be open all day,” Adler said. “We’re providing space for our friends, our family, our community to hang out.”

Lovely is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. On a recent weekday afternoon, the line at the checkout counter extended out the front door. Customers ordered fresh-pressed juices, sandwiches with organic ingredients, and salads and bowls made with local produce. Some customers sat inside the cafe under exposed wooden beams, while others chose a wooden picnic table in the sunny courtyard.

The space became available last fall when Swallowtail Spirits, which had been there since 2019, announced it would be closing its cocktail bar. Lovely opened in the location on Feb. 14, its five-year anniversary. 

With more production room, Adler and her husband have started roasting coffee beans. They plan to start making their own pastries soon. The cafe has also added ice cream and gelato to the menu, as well as beer, wine and cocktails. Lovely’s new tagline is “all day cafe.”

Housemade pickled vegetables have always been a staple for Lovely and are available in a to-go cooler. Adler says she hopes to start selling the pickles wholesale soon. 

The extra capacity also provides room for events. The business is applying for grants to enclose the covered part of the courtyard for the winter, so Lovely can offer space for the community to gather year-round. 

Estelle Bakery

For Rachel Rossi, baking runs in the family. 

Her mom grew up eating almond cakes baked by Rossi’s great-grandmother, Estelle. Rossi’s own mom would make her children cheesecakes and pound cakes.

After Rossi found out she had celiac disease, she transformed her mom’s cake recipes into gluten-free desserts, and they’re now on the menu at Estelle Bakery at 349 Main St., Lovely’s former home. The cafe opened May 14. A black-and-white photograph of Estelle hangs above the bakery’s display case in a gold vintage frame. 

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that occurs in genetically predisposed people where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.

Rossi grew up in Eugene, but her mother is from Australia, and Rossi lived there for a year after graduating from college. Celiac disease was understood in Australia earlier than in the United States due to the prevalence of the disease there, Rossi said. 

“A lot of people struggle with it there, and they had all-purpose gluten-free flour blends before we were even thinking about it,” she said.

So she and her sister, who also has celiac, made gluten-free recipes and served them to family friends who came over for afternoon tea.

When she returned to the United States, Rossi realized there was a growing interest in gluten-free foods and that she could serve the community.

“I’ve learned that having a dedicated space where people don’t have to worry about cross-contamination is a bigger sort of gap in the market than I originally thought,” Rossi said. “Being gluten-free myself, I always kind of thought that, and nowadays, there’s a lot more interest in gluten-free and a lot more awareness of it.”

She started making gluten-free treats in a food truck at her home and selling them at farmers markets, first in Portland and then in Eugene. She also catered weddings and other events. When she decided to open a cafe, she made a Kickstarter fund and raised more than $11,000 to help with equipment and build-out costs.

“It was really pretty incredible how people showed up,” Rossi said.

Rossi said many restaurants now offer gluten-free fare, but those options are not always safe for celiacs if the food is cooked alongside meals containing gluten. She likes being able to offer a gluten-free space where people can bring their friends and family. 

“I just get so many people coming in saying, ‘Thank you, I don’t have to worry about any cross-contamination,’” she said. “People also aren’t used to having so many options.”

Rossi changes her menu weekly to reflect seasonal changes. In addition to her cakes, she makes sweets such as lemon bars and muffins. She also serves savory options like sausage and mushroom galettes and summer squash quiche. The cafe offers Wandering Goat coffee. She has dairy-free and vegan options on the menu, as well. 

One of her friends who has a vintage shop curated a gallery wall of paintings and drawings representing women in different stages of their lives, which was fitting for Rossi, who not only is starting a woman-owned business but is also pregnant with her first child. The gallery hangs on a warm yellow wall in the cafe with pieces for sale.