San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Bookstore cafe a new chapter for Seguin
SEGUIN — It was late afternoon on a scorching Tuesday in downtown Seguin — normally a pretty quiet time of day along the main drag in this city of about 30,000 residents roughly 30 miles east of San Antonio. But a steady flow of traffic could be found streaming into one new business, a hip newcomer that splits its duties as a bookstore and cafe offering a petite menu of locally sourced, chefdriven fare, craft beer and wine.
Pecantown Books and Brews opened June 3 in a smartly furnished art deco-era home in downtown Seguin, and the community immediately welcomed the new business with open arms — and wallets.
“We are the only independent bookstore in Seguin, and I feel like we’re filling a gap that’s existed for a very long time,” owner Tess Coody-Anders said. “And it’s not just my Seguin neighbors that have been incredibly supportive. The response from neighboring communities and visitors has been surprising. I can’t thank our area enough.”
Pecantown’s kitchen is helmed by executive chef Sam Long, who’s cooked in restaurants in the Seguin and New Braunfels areas for the past decade, including a stint at the well-regarded Kindling Texas Kitchen in Cibolo. He’s developed a tight menu — nine items in total — including sandwiches and salads, for Pecantown and given many of those dishes a touch of flair.
Long’s take on a Cuban sandwich features smoky pulled pork instead of the classic garlicky mojo pork, housemade pickles and a zippy mustard sauce Long ferments for at least seven days. The roasted beet salad is made from caramelized red and golden beets dressed with a vibrant grapefruit vinaigrette, goat cheese and toasted pecans. Popcorn gets jazzed up with rosemary olive oil, parsley and thyme. There’s even a sandwich dubbed The Elvis on the kids menu featuring, of course, peanut butter, bananas and a drizzle of local honey, although the bacon strips the King preferred in his version are absent.
For folks seeking a more shareable plate of nibbles to enjoy with a cold beer or glass of wine, Pecantown offers a charcuterie board with cured meats, cheese and pickles, or a mezze platter with hummus, tzatziki, fresh and pickled vegetables, grapes and naan bread.
Currently, Coody-Anders said, Pecantown’s revenue is split about 50/50 between the book and cafe sides of the business. Long said he plans to expand the menu as Pecantown evolves, but for now he wants to focus on doing a few things as best he can.
“The goal right now was to write a menu that would build trust,” Long said. “I want it to be true chef-driven food but something you can get on a lunch break.”
The shop is quite a looker. Bright daylight streams in from seemingly every angle, illuminating little details, such as
vintage typewriters, a display of fancy hand creams and a pair of inviting bean bag chairs in a room devoted to books for children and young adults. Part of the dining room is plastered with baroque wallpaper featuring a squirrel motif — a nod to the town’s famous roadside attraction said to be the “world’s largest pecan” located outside Seguin’s city hall.
The selection of books runs the gamut from the hottest new cookbooks, timeless fiction favorites, current events, a small section of used books and more. Spanish-language titles are also stocked in all of those sections.
“I wanted to start with what I loved,” Coody-Anders said of the store’s design. “What would my dream have been when I was a young person? Where would I have spent every day in the summer?”
Coody-Anders said Pecantown has drawn customers from San Antonio, New Braunfels, San Marcos and Austin — many of those visiting Seguin to sample the award-winning barbecue from Burnt Bean Co. across the street from her shop. But the core customer base, she
said, has largely been locals stopping in for a book and a bite.
“It’s everybody,” Coody-Anders said. “It’s grandma and grandpa who love to read and want to hold a book in their hand and enjoy a mimosa while they do it. College students and faculty have been very present. We’re seeing a lot of repeat business from our city, county and bank workers.”
Crystal Duhamel is among those enthusiastic locals helping Pecantown make its name. While a pair of stylish young women snapped photos of each other peeking over the tops of their books at a nearby table, Duhamel could barely contain her grin as her order — a caprese panini loaded with heirloom tomatoes, slabs of fresh mozzarella and a drizzle of scratch-made pecan pesto — arrived at her table.
Duhamel works just around the corner at the Seguin Public Library and has made the quick five-minute walk to Pecantown three times since the business opened.
“Honestly, we have a lot of fast-food restaurants here, and
for a while, I’ve been wanting something with fresh food,” Duhamel said.
Nancy and Scott Hagerup, a retired couple who live nearby in Seguin, also are happy the shop has opened. The two were in for a second visit — a perfect excuse for both to sip on chocolate stouts and nibble s’mores.
“We love it,” Nancy Hagerup said. “It’s a fun, classy place in Seguin. There aren’t a lot of places to have a fun time like this here.”
Scott Hagerup agreed, adding, “Having this here is great. I like to go have a beer and chill from time to time.”
Coody-Anders had a long career in health care marketing before launching Pecantown Books and Brews, but the dream of starting a business that would serve as a beacon for book and food lovers alike in downtown Seguin had been simmering for years. She hopes the store will serve as a gathering spot for a wide range of people and offer ample opportunities for them to interact and collaborate.
“We want to celebrate ideas,” Coody-Anders said. “We wanted
to create a space where people could have what I call ‘productive collisions,’ and that could be with a good book, each other or a new beer.”
Coody-Anders also envisions the new venture as a proof-ofconcept model for other entrepreneurs who are considering launching a business of their own in downtown Seguin. Ultimately, she hopes businesses such as hers, Burnt Bean Co. and others will help bolster downtown Seguin’s reputation as a place worth visiting.
“This was always on my list of things to do ... for my community, not myself,” she said. “The world is a complicated place, and it’s hard to make an impact everywhere, but you can sweep your own porch.”
Pecantown Books and Brews, 212 S. Camp St. in Seguin, 830491-9155, pecantownbooks.com, Facebook: @Pecantownbooks. Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday