The Bean and Biscuit has opened its doors, offering coffee and baked goodies to local residents in a relaxed atmosphere complete with WiFi connecting patrons to the Internet and beyond.
The coffee shop is a labor of love for married couple Hector Morales and Jenny Kuhnel, computer programmers with a young family who saw a business opportunity on the Blanco Square.
“”I wanted to raise our kids here in the country,” Kuhnel said. “We are able to work from home a little bit, as well as commute into San Antonio. Since we both work for the same company, we kinda wanted to see if we could support ourselves in Blanco without having to commute so much.”
When the couple moved to Blanco a year and a half ago, they noticed there wasn’t a coffee shop in the community.
“That’s how it started,” Kuhnel said.
Morales noted his wife “loves to bake,” and that seemed like a perfect marriage for a coffee shop. He can hardly contain his admiration for her.
“She’s a programmer, a baker and an artist,” Morales said, flashing a big grin. “She would come here at night to get the coffee shop ready.”
Morales said he was impressed with her hard work, adding that the couple stays busy with two young children, as well as their careers.
While it wasn’t the aim of the Bean and Biscuit, the new coffee shop dovetails perfectly with the Blanco Comprehensive Plan, according to Keep Blanco Beautiful’s Retta Martin. The same can be said of Blanco National Bank’s renovation project that faces the square.
Martin said the plan showed that residents were concerned with downtown and wanted to see improvements. But in the 10 years since the comprehensive plan was completed, the town square has seen much of its precepts become reality, particularly with the addition of Uptown Blanco, as well as the restaurants.
“The restaurants play an important role and have truly done a great job,” Martin observed.
Blanco Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Libbey Aly is also pleased to see Bean and Biscuit as its new next-door neighbor, as well as the Blanco National Bank renovation.
“We are always so thrilled when a new business opens in Blanco,” Aly said. “Someone choosing Blanco, to start a new venture, is like a pat on the back for us as a community. New businesses, like the Bean and Biscuit, are sure signs of positive growth. There was so much excitement when folks heard that a coffee shop was coming and it is so nice to have them.”
According to Blanco National Bank Executive Vice President Dixie Hall, their project is about two months away from completion, but was more than a mere facelift for the building. The bank has been an essential part of the community since it first opened in 1906. It’s moved around a few times over the years and was even located in the old courthouse at one time.
“It is a beautification project, but it didn’t start out that way,” Hall said of the bank’s current project. “We had some structural repairs that were needed on the porch.”
The need opened the door for a beautification project.
The comprehensive plan called for a mixture of downtown businesses, as well as the improvement of the appearance of the downtown area. Businesses like Bean and Biscuit, the restaurants, Uptown Blanco, and the renovation at the bank are embodiments of good planning. Another essential aspect of the comprehensive plan is the historical preservation; the historic courthouse as well as the bowling alley are examples of those goals.
Martin did point out that one aspect of the plan that has not been fully addressed is improving the safety and traffic along U.S. 281. She is also concerned that the comprehensive plan needs to be updated now that it is a decade old and is hoping the City of Blanco will pursue a revision in the near future. The Lower Colorado River Authority and Pedernales Electric Cooperative assisted the city in the assembly of the master plan; however, neither agency offers those services to local communities any more. That means it is likely up to the city to either fund an overhaul or to find a grant to pay for it.
As for the Bean and Biscuit, they are currently operating on an abbreviated schedule while they search for an employee to run the shop on weekdays. The coffee shop is open on Friday from 6:30 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
“We’re looking to get the doors open during the week, but are screening candidates at the moment,” Kuhnel said.
2 photos attached to this article.
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