COLUMN: Crafting More Than Just a Fine Cup of Coffee
the Red Fern Cafe in Fall Creek offers creative workshops for the community, annual artist fairs and displays regional artists' work
The road goes through the heart of Fall Creek, and The Red Fern Cafe (125 E Lincoln Ave., Suite A, Fall Creek) was ready to lure travelers in with the delicious scents of coffee and waffles.
Julie Stautz, the owner of the cafe was there to serve me, sweetening the deal with a variety of board games to play and snacks to fuel the soul. I purchased a freshly ground bag of her signature coffee blend and admitted I had really ventured out to savor the art on display.
Stautz, who has a background in pottery – with a ceramic emphasis – and art history from her days at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire continues to practice the art of crafting and acrylic painting as well as pottery whenever she has the opportunity.
“I dabble in a lot of things. (Probably too many things if you ask my husband),” Stautz said. “I’m someone who really likes to learn something new, and this place is giving me a lot of opportunities to challenge myself.
“I'm an artist at heart, probably born with a crayon in my hand. My mom and my grandmother were both artists, so it's just in my blood,” Stautz added.
"I love hosting art classes because it’s an opportunity to talk and connect through art."
Julie Stautz
OWNER, the red fern cafe
She opened The Red Fern Cafe in 2023 to offer a place for her community to gather. Her love of coffee and baked goods – along with a passion for the arts – began with her grandmother, who always had a pot of coffee on.
“Coffee seemed to gather people, and the Fall Creek community needed a coffee shop,” Stautz said.
The art component of the cafe started to take hold when Stautz found a great collaborator: Julie Schaller, an art teacher in the Eau Claire school district.
Schaller and Stautz first met at a stained-glass class and immediately hit it off, Stautz noting, “When I opened (The Red Fern Cafe), I knew that I would love to share her art.”
Today, Schaller creates rustic barnwood pieces and wood cut out pieces of art that are currently on display along the cafe's walls.
“Teaching art is a passion of mine,” Schaller said. “I love that everyone gets the same lesson and everyone's project is so different! I love how art is so creative!”
Thirteen consignment artists currently display and sell their art in The Red Fern Cafe. Each year, the business organizes a “Fall Fair” on the second Saturday in October where they host even more artists and local makers.
The goal for the Fall Fair remains to involve as many Fall Creek businesses as possible. I’ll be back for that event, no doubt.
To further its commitment to art accessibility, Red Fern Cafe hosts regular classes for the community to engage with different art mediums. Previous art classes at The Red Fern Cafe have included created mosaics, needle felting, open paint nights and watercolor classes hosted by BeaDreamer Creations.
Stautz said she loves the breadth of community members who step through the cafe's doors for classes. The cozy space has room for 18 participants at a time. She welcomes any feedback from attendees to see what new offerings folks would be interested in.
“I love hosting art classes because it’s an opportunity to talk and connect through art,” Stautz said. “I love bringing people in to teach what they love and provide a space for that.”
Coffee, waffles, and a vibrant community of artists has easily become Stautz's signature blend and well worth a short road trip to Fall Creek's The Red Fern Cafe.
“Behind the Easel” is a periodic column by Patricia Hawkenson, a visual artist and one of the proprietors of Decadent Gifts & Gallery in Eau Claire.
