Cozy delights
Foody Friday enjoys a cup at Hideaway Coffee Cafe
The Hideaway Coffee Cafe, located at 223 Woodbine St., is as cozy as its name implies.
The cafe, tucked away in a large, welcoming house built in 1926, first opened its doors for business in May. The house is owned by Tori Marrin, who runs the cafe with her business partner and best friend, Sue Flannery. Marrin’s son, Mark Linder, is also part-owner and serves as the cafe’s barista.
“I saw this house I think the second day it went on the market, so I snatched it up,” Marrin said, “I was going to have it to where we could have maybe the girls come in and have different classes of yoga. That’s what my first deal was, and then it was ‘Maybe not. Maybe I’ll just open it up for an office again,’ because this was the public defender’s office at one time.
“So we sort of sat on it and I started redoing the floors and painting and putting some new things into it, new lighting. One day Sue and I were just talking about things that we liked and she had mentioned that her grandparents had a little cafe or worked in the coffee business,” she said.
“Tori said she always wanted to have a coffee shop, and I said, ‘You know what, I’ve always wanted to have a coffee shop too,’” Flannery said.
“So the next day, we started it,” Marrin said.
The industrious pair of friends have made sure the Hideaway Coffee Cafe is a special place unlike any other coffee shop.
“We have a lot people come in and say, ‘Oh my gosh, this reminds me of back when, this was like my mom’s home or my grandma’s house,’” Marrin said.
“We wanted it to be a place where people wanted to stay — they didn’t want to just come in, get their coffee, and leave. So that’s why we developed the game room and the library. And people do come and stay for hours at a time. I love it when I walk in the game room and there’s a father playing checkers with his 6-year-old. Or moms playing Parcheesi with one of her kids,” Flannery said.
The cafe has four different but equally cozy rooms for customers to enjoy their coffee in: the front living room, perhaps the most homey and conducive to warm meals, conversation and company; the game room, where toddlers can enjoy scattering board game pieces; a meeting room, complete with a piano; and a quiet, intervening room that is a favorite of local students delving into their studies over a steaming cup of coffee or a sweet pastry.
Occupying a central location in the house and into which lead four doorways is the room where the coffee percolates, the oven-fresh, homemade scones and cinnamon rolls are temptingly displayed, and where Linder makes everything from espressos to cappuccinos. A variety of sandwiches are offered as well, warm sandwiches (the breakfast sandwiches a favorite of customers) to cold, readypacked sandwiches for those on the go, complete with a side of potato salad and fresh fruit.
The Hideaway Coffee Cafe has a focus on education, with shelves of books for both children and adults to read. A 15% discount is given to anyone with a Garland County Library card. Community is a primary emphasis, with groups such as book clubs regularly meeting at the cafe.
Marrin and Flannery said they would like to start holding chess tournaments at the cafe, as well.
The two also have plans to start offering live music in the evenings, Marrin’s family being of a musical persuasion. A guitar sits on a stand in the corner of the front room.
“The house is happy now. It’s serving its original purpose,” Flannery said.
Q&A with Tori Marrin
The following are excerpts from the interview with Tori Marrin, presented in a question-and-answer format:
Q: Favorite meal of all time?
A: Probably Mexican food. Q: Go-to comfort food? A: Good bread and cheese.
Q: Favorite restaurant? A: The Hideaway Coffee Cafe, my cafe is probably my favorite place because I can make what I want.
Q: Favorite part of working in the Hot Springs area?
A: I’m a city girl, and I like the slow pace. And I like that there’s a lot of opportunity here. I was able to retire very early coming here, where I know if I had stayed in California, I’d probably still be working under somebody, trying to survive.
Q: Advice for someone getting started in the restaurant business?
A: Just go for it. It depends on what kind of restaurant you want to start. If you’re going to do something different, I say go for it. If you’re going to do something like everybody else, it’s going to be a tough ride. Do it differently, people will come.