GATE CITY – The intersection of Jackson and Kane streets in Gate City is growing as a hub of eateries and venues.
The Maple Tree Bookstore and Coffee Shop, Kane Street Smokehouse, the soon-to-open Franco’s Italian Bistro, and the Campus Restaurant on Kane leading into the downtown already provide a core of locally-owned eateries and venues in Gate City’s downtown. Three more businesses are adding to that cluster and to Scott County’s roster of local restaurants and event sites.
Baker street
Rachael Bagienski returned to her childhood stomping grounds with her husband and four daughters with a baked-in business concept – a pastry and ice cream shop.
On April 1 – no fooling – Bagienski will celebrate her birthday with the grand opening of Orange Blossom Bakery and Creamery at the intersection of Jackson and Kane.
Born in Kingsport, Bagienski grew up around her grandmother in Gate City as she learned her way around a kitchen.
“My grandmother was always a big influence,” Bagienski said as she showed the almost completed interior, ice cream freezer and a row of waffle makers.
Returning home after growing up in Florida, Alaska and Hawaii and raising four daughters with her lineman husband Jason, Bagienski saw the former downtown store and decided to put that baking experience to the test.
“We’re going to specialize in European pastries, but we’ll also have cookies, cakes and ice creams,” said Bagienski. “Tortes, tarts, you name it. We’ll sell plenty of sweet treats here.”
The waffle makers will get a workout as Bagienski and her daughters will be making loaded Belgian waffles for breakfast and waffle cones to hold several flavors of ice cream. As business gears up, she said she plans to offer weekend high teas by reservation and host baby showers, bridal showers, receptions and small, intimate-setting events.
“It’s a beautiful space,” said Bagienski. “The town has been great, and Gate City Frontier does a great job of getting out the word about new businesses.”
Venue
Bagienski’s business neighbor, Leslie Crawford, has seen her new venture – The Edison – already in demand for gatherings and business events since it opened Jan. 24.
“It was supposed to be our soft opening, and we expected that night to just show off what we’ve done but people started lining up for bookings,” said Crawford. “We’ve been pretty much going every weekend since then.”
The former Sloan’s Department Store retains a lot of its early 20th century character – original wooden floorboards, high pressed-tin ceilings and storefront windows. Crawford and her husband Evan have renovated the interior to highlight those features and add display cases filled with plates, silverware and much of what one would need to host a party or dinner.
“(Sloan’s) tag for the store was ‘from cradle to grave,’” Crawford said. “They actually had from baby clothes to caskets. That’s kind of wild that there’s a lot of history here.”
Crawford said she is looking at the long-term possibility of building an open gathering space at the building’s rear.
“If we can plan and organize that project, you have a nice view of the mountain from the back of the building,” Craawford added. “We knew there was a definite need for an event venue in the town and Scott County in general, and we’ve been shocked and yet not shocked at the response.”
A prep kitchen in the back of the building can accommodate planners wanting to bring prepared food or to cater from surrounding restaurants, Crawford said as she surveyed preparations for Friday’s booking – a 16th birthday gathering that evening. Bookings have come from locals, folks in Kingsport and even one organizer from Charlotte, North Carolina.
“It’s been interesting to see all the different people who are coming here and who are excited to have a place in downtown,” Crawford said. “Our next goal is to start booking events during the week.”
Ice cream on the road
Thanks to a $10,000 Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority Seed Capital Grant, Freda and J.C. Starnes are upgrading their Duffield-based food truck – Blue Line Treats – to offer a wider range of drinks and desserts.
“After many months of research and looking at what may be the most successful venture, we agreed upon serving premium hand-dipped ice cream, shaved ice and freshly squeezed lemonade as our primary products,” Freda said in a recent announcement.
The business logo draws from J.C.’s 29-year law enforcement career, with a smiling K-9 officer holding a big double-dip ice cream cone.
With the grant, the Starnes’s are looking at expanding the truck’s menu from spring-summer items – ice cream, shaved ice, fresh lemonade, popcorn and cotton candy – to cooler-season fare such as coffee, lattes and espressos for a year-round business opportunity across events in Scott, Lee and Wise counties.
Orange Blossom Bakery and Creamery — Redirecting...
Edison — Redirecting...
Blue Line Treats — Redirecting...