Business : Brickside Brew-N-Chew is "My Place"

Sue Hart the new owner of Brickside welcomes you to make it your place for breakfast, coffee, a pastry, or lunch

Italian Cream Soda

Seven months ago, Sue Hart was just walking by Brickside on her way to the pharmacy, when the shop caught her eye. Having worked in a tea room with her sister in Ottumwa, she thought, "I have GOT to check this out!" She said when she first walked in her mouth dropped open and she wanted to know "When did YOU get here???!" As they say, the rest is history. The next day, she was hired.

Previously she had worked in the Amanas at the Woolen Mill and she said she was just ready to start something new. The business was started by Rob DeVries in the middle of October of last year and has been successful in a short time. So successful in fact, that she agreed to buy it. On May 27, it officially became hers. She said that she has enjoyed the people and creating friendships in the community the most.

Brickside offers, pastries, coffee which you can get plain, flavored, hot or cold, espresso, latte or maybe it's just tea that you'd like. Of course, it's not JUST tea, you can have that hot or cold or flavored as well. She joked that she is sure she has more syrups than any coffee shop in America right now. If you stop for breakfast, there are breakfast sandwiches to go with your beverage of choice. At lunchtime, they offer a variety of soups and sandwiches. There are also Italian Cream Sodas that you can add to your lunch choices.

There are plans to extend the kitchen which will allow Hart to add to the menu. Salads will be at the top of her list. She has other ideas as well that she'd like to add. Currently, she is also adding in Keto flavorings and desserts. Aside from these additions, probably her most important addition will be her husband Terry who will be retiring from Whirlpool in about a month.

She said the coffee part of the business is something that she is constantly researching. There are always new ways to make coffee and always a new way to flavor it. It's one of those hobbies that she said it feels like you need a lab coat for as you experiment and learn all of the nuances of making unique coffees. Some coffees she said not only do you need the taste, but the temperature right.

Hart is not new to running her own business. She also owns The Red House on the Hill, near Dysart where she sold handmade lotions and soaps and yarn that she spun herself. She now has the soaps and lotions available and on display at the shop. She found while spinning yarn from her alpacas and other wool that she couldn't have rough hands. She also found out that moths liked the yarn, but they hate lavender. So combining lavender into the lotion solved two problems at once. She explained that lavender also has calming properties and helps with sleeping. She is also making a variety of scents for her lotions and soaps. One she makes is Bourbon Tobacco which is enjoyed by both men and women. So be sure to check out the handmade lotions and soaps while you are at Brickside.

The business employs a handful of staff to bring you this deliciousness and welcomes groups for lunch or breakfast. One customer said, "This is going to be my place!" Hart hopes that it will become everyone's place.

You can find Brickside at 115 W. 4th St. in downtown Vinton (next door to LaGrange Pharmacy) The hours to stop in at Brickside are Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m, until 4 p.m. and Thursdays they stay open until 7:00 p.m. Lunch is served from 11-2 each day.

To follow their menu and updates, look them up on Facebook!