The original business was part of the Old Elbow School Shop in the Mall Drive shopping center. As the small coffeehouse flourished, the owners decided to open a larger eatery featuring local menu items.

    While Harmony Corner Café has only set up shop at its Barstow Street location for a couple weeks, business is already booming. In the first two weeks since opening, Harmony has sold dozens of their home-made vegan cookies daily, heaps of fresh-picked, organic lettuce, gallons of hearty soup, and perhaps enough Paninis to feed a small country.

When I met with owners Greg and Kathy Brice, they barely had a moment to sit down and talk, so instead I was treated to a first-hand view of operations, and as the staff kneaded several thick loaves of bread, we discussed the Chippewa Valley’s need for fresh, organic food, and a welcoming atmosphere.

Armed with the motto, “Eat Local, Eat Well,” the new Harmony Corner Café offers everything they had before and a whole lot more. Two huge seating areas feature everything from intimate tables to comfy couches. Greg said, “One cool thing people have told me is that the front of the store is so different from the back. They have a different feel.” Nestled in the back is a large stage that has already hosted full jazz groups, barbershop quartets, and acoustic guitarists, along with Greg himself, a longtime musician.

The original business started as part of the Old Elbow School Shop in the Mall Drive shopping center and was the brainchild of the Brices’ son Clayton, who had envisioned a place for locals to get fair trade coffee. The small coffeehouse flourished, and, soon sights were set on opening a larger eatery that would feature local and organic items in the building that was once Dessert First. When the idea took off, Greg took to crafting the interior while Kathy headed to the kitchen to create signature homemade foods. Even their son Aaron helped with the graphic design and made all the employee uniforms.

    As a result of months of hard work, Harmony has a myriad of delectable edibles, and the only café in town that deals exclusively with fair trade coffee and tea. When asked what she recommended, all modesty aside, Kathy replied, “Everything! Our Paninis are made on homemade bread, our salad was picked fresh this morning, and our lattes are made with organic coffee beans and milk. It’s our ‘feel good food.’ ”

Some of the particularly tasty choices include the Pesto Melt Panini, made with rich classic basil pesto spread topped with shredded carrots, Swiss cheese, tomato, red onion, lettuce, and balsamic vinegar, and the Harmony Corner Salad, consisting of local spring greens tossed with Romaine lettuce, carrots, feta cheese, walnuts, red onion, tomato, craisins, and home-made croutons. For something more sinful, try the sun-krinkle and banana chocolate chip cookies, or their signature scone – also a real treat.

In addition to their all-organic menu, they’re also extending to vegan and gluten-free products, replacing items such as eggs with bananas or applesauce, and using almond flour in the cookies. Despite being “organic,” and “local,” two buzzwords often synonymous with ”expensive,” Harmony maintains reasonable prices.

“We’re all about small business and helping people,” Kathy said. “I could buy organic lettuce that comes from California, and I could have a bigger refrigerator, and a big truck could just come up to the front door, and we could just load it in once a week, but that’s not what we’re about. We’re about getting people to eat better and support their community. And we have fun doing it. I don’t know how many applications I’ve received where people have said that they’re fed up working for corporate, because it’s so stressful. Not here. We work hard, have fun, and our customers notice.”