Connie Heyer pointed to the image of Kermit the Frog sitting under a rainbow that hangs in the front dining room to explain the origin the new Rainbow Connection Cafe’s name (patrons of her other Shepherdstown restaurant, LILAH, will notice the common design motif): “We had this idea to put charging stations on all the tables and the wifi symbol and rainbow both share a shape and the sense of connection. We’re in a college town and we wanted to create a space that is welcoming to everyone.”
The plan for the cafe came together quickly over the past few months. Heyer and her husband Joe saw the “for sale” sign in the window of the former LellyBelle Cafe and moved quickly to purchase the business, bringing in another local couple, Rhiannon Biedzynski and David McCauley, as business partners. Heyer noted that the two couples came to know each other only during the past year as Biedzynski and McCauley became regular patrons at LILAH Restaurant, remarking, “it’s one of the amazing things about Shepherdstown, the friendships you develop and how many people we know by first name.”
The new cafe is much larger — when Heyer found out that the ground floor apartment behind the old cafe was available, she negotiated a deal to lease both spaces. With the addition of a doorway, the cafe now has a large second dining room, an expanded kitchen, multiple restrooms, and access to the yard in back that overlooks the Town Run. Heyer sees the new dining room as ideal for events and private parties and expects to open the yard for dining next spring. She points out the cafe will be online too “We’re excited about our ordering app on the website. If a patron wants to place a breakfast order for their morning commute, we’ll bring it right to the curb out front.”
Inside, the chalkboards behind the counter will look familiar, but the menu is also greatly expanded. Heyer described it as “versatile and interchangeable, offering multiple choices for almost all options. So for example, if you want a meatball sandwich, we can prepare it with meat, vegetarian, vegan, and/or gluten-free options, however you want it. We’ve been doing this at LILAH, it adds some complexity, but we’ve figured it out. We foresee a lot of seasonal updates to keep it fresh too.”
Rainbow Connection Café, 104 East German St., Shepherdstown WV. Tel: 304-870-2995. Opening in September, 7 days a week for breakfast (from 6 am) & lunch (from 11 am – 5 pm). Check their website (coming soon!) and Facebook page for additional evening hours & events.
By Staff Contributor