Brothers bring the Cottage back to downtown Van Buren

story and photo by Marla Cantrell
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For generations, the Cottage Café in downtown Van Buren was the gathering place for diners who couldn’t get enough of the landmark restaurant’s country breakfasts, endless cups of coffee, and coconut cream pie so irresistible tourists even planned vacations around it.

In July, 2008, the Cottage Café closed because of unpaid taxes, and the restaurant, which opened for the first time in 1925, began its conspicuous decline. The restaurant is located at 810 Main St., across from the train depot in downtown Van Buren.

This summer, Van Buren brothers John and Danny Ray pooled their money to resurrect the place. The Ray family purchased the building where the diner is housed, along with two other nearby buildings, for approximately $300,000. Another $35,000 will be spent on renovations to the restaurant.

The brothers plan to have the restaurant open by Thanksgiving.

“I think Van Buren wants it back – bad. When you talk about downtown Main Street the first thing you think of is the Cottage,” 38-year-old co-owner John Ray said.

The Rays are keeping the old menu just as it was when the diner closed. They also hired the baker who worked at the Cottage Café for 15 years. A few things, however, will change. The eatery has been renamed Brothers Cottage Café and a breakfast and lunch buffet has been added to serve customers who need to get in, get a hot meal, and get back to work.

While the brothers believe their venture will turn a profit, possibly as soon as next year, Mary Koeth, director of the Van Buren Advertising and Promotions Commission, said the majority of the downtown eateries are still finding their way out of the recent recession.

“Sister’s (Bistro) is continuing to do well in this tough economic climate, while the others have seen a downturn, much the same as the restaurants in other areas of the city,” Koeth said.

Koeth said year-to-date restaurant revenue is 2.99% above the same period in 2007 and 4% below the same period in 2008, with total September tax collections at $29,598.14.

Even though the restaurant numbers have been down, retail shop owners on Main Street are feeling optimistic.

“I think the economy in general is picking up and I definitely see more business in my store and in the shops around me,” said Barb Little, owner of A Little Bit of Mexico and president of the Old Town Merchants Association. “We have something the box stores can’t offer. We have a nostalgic place to come, personal service and shop owners with a love and loyalty to Van Buren.  We are the true example of a dying breed, Main Street USA.”

Both Little and the Rays said a source of money coming in to the historic area is from the excursion train that runs from April through November, bringing in travelers from northwest Arkansas to shop, sightsee and dine. Little estimates 15% to 20% of her business comes from the train.

The Rays believe traffic at Brothers Cottage Café will be an even mix of local people and tourists from the train, bus tours and those traveling on their own.

“We’ve had people from Ohio, New York, all kinds of different places come by and say, ‘It’s been three years since we were here and we came back for a piece of pie. Where’s the pie?’” said 31-year-old co-owner Danny Ray.

The Rays plan to give diners all the pie they can handle. The brothers will also welcome back the regulars who came in day after day, staying long after the dishes were cleared, downing coffee and discussing everything from the weather to what the heck is wrong with kids today.

“We’ll have our coffee drinkers in the corner, that’s tradition,” said co-owner John Ray. “That’s what we want, that’s what we want to bring back.”