New tenant planned for site of Book and Coffee Corner

Mary Katos and her son, Jim, believe they have the solution to what residents want in downtown Sidney.

She has long realized that there’s no viable place for someone to have a small meeting – possibly over a cup of coffee – so she is working with her son to solve that. The duo plans to open the space formerly occupied by the Book and Coffee Corner at 10th Avenue and Jackson Street.

“There will be a new tenant there and it will be us,” Mary Katos said. “We’re doing it but it’s still a little early in the process.”

While Katos confirmed that the name will definitely change, she said she couldn’t reveal what it will be just yet. “There are some legal things that still have to be wrapped up before we can reveal those things,” she said.

Mary Katos said she will open an art gallery on the Book Corner portion of the property. She will target local and regional artists and give them a locale to show off and sell their works. It will also include some book sales, plus other items similar to a gift shop.

On the Coffer Corner side, Jim will open a French-style bakery and cafe. It will include baguettes, croissants, breakfast-style sandwiches and coffee.

Jim is a professionally trained chef who spent 20-plus years in the restaurant business in Chicago.

“Jim worked with some of the best French chefs in Chicago,” Mary Katos said. “He has an international resume too. He was worked in the Virgin Islands and Austria.

One of the keys to the success of the business, Mary Katos said, will be the “flex space” that the two businesses will share.

“We’ll have a little more seating on the restaurant side than the previous tenant,” she said. “We’ll have some shared flex space that will be perfect for meetings. People can gather around and talk and we think it’s something that is missing in downtown right now.

“Barb Meier, who is the original owner of that property, has been very helpful and given us some great guidance as well.”

Mary Katos, who moved to Sidney from the Chicago-area about a decade ago, has experience working for Fortune 500 companies and has an extensive business background.

The bakery portion of the locale could open by the end of this month or the first part of November, Mary Katos said. The gallery side will then open about a month after that.

“We’ll think this has a chance to be very successful,” she said. “We’re very much looking forward to doing this.”