It might not seem that French toast, flower bouquets, and antique settees could bring hope to downtown in Aurora, but these are not usual times. In these very unusual times, those three things are refreshing and much needed.
Let’s start with French toast. Once upon a time, I would chat with downtown speculators about how more breakfast choices were desired. Over the last couple of years, those choices grew with the opening of Endiro Coffee, Society 57, and Tredwell Coffee. This Summer, both Mora on the River and Altiro Latin Fusion began to offer brunch menus on the weekend. When you’re sitting outside eating French toast under Mora’s tent along Water Street Mall, it feels just like hope is slowly being restored.
Mora on the River, 43 W. Galena Boulevard, offers brunch only on Sundays. Reservations are not required. Altiro Latin Fusion, 1 S. Stolp Avenue, serves a breakfast menu on the weekends from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call 630-800-1973 for reservations.
Flowers naturally give hope. They present new life and beauty to us as they grow from the ground in the Summer months, and they adorn our tables when we are lucky enough to treat ourselves or be appreciated by another. Now we can do that a lot more often since Blissful Blooms opened upstairs at Warehouse 55 at the southwest corner of Downer Place and Lake Street.
Owner Maria Cermeno started the business in her home earlier this year. She was host to floral pop-ups and workshops around town at places such as Wyckwood House and Solemn Oath Brewery, and then grew the business after the COVID-19 shutdown by placing wholesale orders for friends and family.
“I realized that flower farmers and local wholesalers needed the flower community more than ever to place orders for flowers,” she said.
After receiving a tremendous response, Cermeno said she realized that “flowers provided a way to express their love to their family members during a time we had to stay physically apart.”
Blissful Blooms shares the same building hours as Warehouse 55. They are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. They are available after hours for private events. Find out more at blissfulblooms.us or call 630-881-3030.
As for that antique settee, there’s more than just that. Warehouse 55, 55 S. Lake Street, has added more than 6,000-square-feet recently when they opened up the second floor to more vendors. It’s a spectacular space filled with antiques and gorgeous, timeless displays.
Seeing vintage furniture from the last century does somehow give hope. That settee has lasted through a lot, and so can we.
Marissa Amoni is the manager of Aurora Downtown, a nonprofit group of downtown business and property owners. Saturday, Aug. 29 Amoni will celebrate 10 years of Alley Art Festival throughout downtown from noon to 5 p.m. Find out more at auroradowntown.org.