On a quaint street in Caldwell, Texas lies a shop with more to it than meets the eye. With her husband frequently away at his job, Melissa Brune realized she longed for company and conversation, so in 2016, she created Lissa’s Restyled Sip& Shop — something she had only ever dreamed of doing.
The shop originally served coffee, wine and appetizers, but after customers liked what they saw (and ate), they slowly pushed Melissa to add more options including the additions of breakfast tacos, homemade breads, sandwiches, soups and pizza, which quickly made their spot onto the menu.
“I was missing the art of conversation, and so that's how it started,” Melissa says. “I also enjoy a nice glass of wine with my girlfriends. My shop has always been about the customers, about what they wanted. I have kind of a foodie, kitcheney vibe going.”
The building itself is from the 1850’s, with a unique ceiling that makes you feel like you’re in a different era and pink brick greeting you on the outside. Step inside and you’ll be met with wine from Messina Hof, Georgetown Winery and Italy, as well as charcuterie boards, local art and local honey.
“If I like to be supported — I’m local — then I need to support my local people and my
local brands,” Melissa says. “And artists always have a soft spot to me… my daughter's done beautiful artwork. And if I can help somebody understand art and the reason why you pay like you do for it, then I think it's a gift to the person that's getting the art and to the artists.”
Along with highlighting local artists, Melissa has also incorporated a few family members’ recipes into her menu.
“I use my great grandmother's molasses bread recipe, my aunt’s chicken salad recipe and a cousin's macaroni salad recipe,” Melissa says. “When we started making the breads, I wanted to bring in my great-grandmother's bread some way. It was just thinking of the different things that people enjoy and all and how they come together.”
Community is important to Melissa, which is why she hosts various events for people of all ages to come to. Most recently, she hosted a ‘Learn with Me’ focaccia bread art event at the shop.
“We usually have a learn with me once a month,” Melissa says. “A ‘Mom's, Mimi's, Movies and Mayhem’ once a month, where we get together and we watch a movie. It's hilarious, we have mumus that we wear, yes, so it's very relaxed. During the summer, we're gonna bring in some fun little things for the kids to learn like decorating cookies and icing cakes.”
Having such close relationships with her customers, Melissa tries her best to meet their needs. She recently added a ‘Grab-n-Go’ section to her menu for those on their way to work that includes scones, coffee cake, fruit kolaches and sausage koblanskis. If sleeping in is your thing, she’s got you covered, too.
“We just roll with it,” Melissa says. “If people want a brunch all day we brunch all day. If they decide they want lunch, then we'll roll it over lunch.”
For customers who have a special event in mind, Sip & Shop hosts baby and wedding showers, anniversaries, birthday parties, celebration of life dinners and has even hosted family Christmas dinners. A customer’s request for a birthday cake started Melissa’s journey of cake decorating.
“That's how I started baking for the store, just because of a loyal customer believing in me and giving me a push over the edge,” Melissa says. “Now I do wedding cakes …so we've done a lot of things since we've opened now.”
For the sweet tooths out there looking for more, Melissa also makes homemade fudge in large batches with flavors like birthday cake, white and dark fudge, caramel and peanut butter fudge.
“The couple that taught me about this are so sweet,” Melissa says. “They're from Bryan, they used to do the fudge out at Santa’s Wonderland. It is so delicious and it's so fun. You make huge quantities at one time and it's just perfect. It melts in your mouth and it is good in coffee.”
Less than 30 minutes away from Bryan/College Station, Lissa’s Restyled Sip & Shop offers a homey feel to visitors. Swing by and try their spring blossom coffee flavor of the month with hints of elderflower and honey.
“We just give a new twist on a coffee and wine shop,” Melissa says.“We learn who you are and we help you to be adventurous. I know a lot of people are like in a box with their drinks, and so we just encourage everybody to learn more about coffees. We just make sure that everybody leaves with a smile.”
Lissa’s Restyled Sip & Shop is located at 205 South Main Street in Caldwell and is open Tuesdays through Thursdays from 7 a.m to 2 p.m., Fridays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. (grill closes between 2 to 3:30 p.m.) and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit lissasipshop.com or call (979) 200-9288.
