Not
just Thursday but every day one can expect an offer of coffee and a
smile from business owner, Mary Lanterman. Mary purchased the
business in 1991 from Sue Cause and moved it from 501 Broadway to a
rented storefront at 202 South Chicago. She expanded the giftware
line and quickly outgrew the location less than five years later.
The current building was purchased, and Mary and her son, David,
undertook a four-month renovation.
Many
customers marvel at the store’s beauty and assume it has always
"looked this way." Mary keeps a photo album at the counter
showing the before renovation photos. No one would guess that in
1996 the building had an orange and beige tiled floor, suspended
ceilings and plain plaster walls. The street front was a scene from
the '70s, with display windows that jutted on to the sidewalk
and the typical recessed glass entry door.
![](../images/beans_such/beans1.jpg)
[Mary
grinding beans for the first pot of coffee]
During
the renovation, the entire lower front of the store was taken off
and boxed in while work was in progress. What emerged was a façade
reminiscent of the 1800s. The "new" entry doors actually
came from the building’s second floor. They were refinished and
brass "push/pull" signs were added. Inside, the space was
split for storage in the back and the shop in the front. Custom
plaster moldings were made for the ceiling and wood panels and
shelves for the walls. The color scheme evolved after the decision
to leaf the ceiling molding in gold. Mary scoured wallpaper books
until she found a sample with a gold pattern; the background was
plum. The result is a warm and beautiful location with the feel of a
bygone era.
Customers
can find Mary at the store almost daily and David helps out on
weekends and during the hectic holiday season. Two other employees
fill in part time. Mary states that her business is split pretty
equally between the coffee and gourmet food lines and the giftware
line. Of the more than thirty flavors, Mary’s favorite coffee is
Toasted Almond Crème, and her favorites from the giftware line
include the Tiffany style lamps and the lawn/garden items.
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Besides
the gourmet foods, which include raspberry salsa (great over cream
cheese with tea biscuits), there are gift items by Fitz and Floyd
and May Engelbreit, a baby corner featuring Winnie the Pooh,
luxurious bath and body items, scented candles, pillows with quotes,
heavenly angel statues and Hayes-Parker indoor/outdoor decorations
that are based on architectural artifacts. Assortments of soothing
and sentimental instrumental CDs are the latest addition to the
store. The shelves, attractively filled with numerous items, entice
customers to linger, looking again and again to be sure nothing has
been missed. Mary says that everyone works on the displays, which
are changed every four to six weeks.
After
more than eight years in business, Mary’s best advice to someone
thinking of opening a business downtown is to "not expect
miracles overnight." Building a business takes time and Mary
appreciates her customers who have been so supportive. She feels
downtown Lincoln is "on the upswing" and plans to
"stick around."
Beans
and Such is a partner in and has been a sponsor of various Main
Street Lincoln activities. They include the Main Street logo in
their advertising and Mary and David have both served on the Design
Committee. When asked what the organization has done for them, Mary
states that "they are someone to turn to for help" and
cites the number of improvements Main Street Lincoln has made in the
downtown area. If money were no object, Mary’s wish list for
downtown would include a nice decorative sidewalk. No doubt, there
would be many people on that sidewalk following the drifting aroma
from Beans and Such, and walking right through the big wooden doors.
![](../images/beans_such/beans2.jpg)
[One
of the many displays inside Beans N' Such]
[Wendy Bell
Program Manager
Main Street Lincoln]
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