, Patti Peck is preparing to open the Beachwood Cafe in its place.
Peck, a former owner of Millie's Cafe in Silver Lake, said she plans to open the restaurant on March 1 of next year and will focus on breakfast and lunch for the first six months after which time she plans to open for dinner.
"She has a passion for fresh, healthy food," said Jeff Meyer, owner of Hollywoodland Antiques and Fine Time Pieces.
The menu will feature healthy food made from scratch and will include vegan and vegetarian options, Peck said. There will also be coffee and juices made to go, and curbside pick-up for call-in orders.
Peck said she is excited about the new location.
"It's iconic," Peck said. "How often does a space like that become available? It's magic. It speaks to me."
Peck is also in the process of applying for a beer and wine license. She said she will officially take over the restaurant on Jan. 1, 2012.
3:02am on Friday, December 2, 2011 I will miss the previous century's decor. Altho I was born in 1946, I was raised by my great-grandparents (born in the 1880s) on a small vegetable farm in No. Indiana. The antiques in the cabinets of the Village Coffee Shop are exactly like or similar to items we used every day as I grew up. They have been constant reminders of my roots - a simpler way of life which, in retrospect, required more work, but the reward was a great deal more freedom than all of our modern gadgets give us now. The hand plow which set in front of the coffee shop, was the same as the one we used to hand-plow furrows in our 4 gardens every Spring, and hand-planted/hand-watered the vegetables we consumed during the Summer, and canned in August & September to supplement our survival throughout the Winter. The pot-belly stove heater inside the main dining room reminded me of the one we used to heat the downstairs rooms of our farm house every Winter. The old toasters, the old iron, and other kitchen appliances are familiar to me, and educational to those who have been born in the past 20 years. The new owner will work hard to regain the neighborhood's favor, and I wish her the best of luck and wise decision making. I will also miss Vergie's & Bill's presences. I look forward to March 1st, 2012 - It will be wonderful to have a gathering place (but with better coffee??!) again for Hollywoodlanders to enjoy together. Change is constant, but often painful.
Thanks, Patti Peck