Russ Lawrence continues his quest to revitalize the Englewood area of Independence.
“Englewood is amazing and is totally coming back to life,” Lawrence says.
His newest business, the Stone Bridge Coffee House & Art Gallery, has just opened. It’s at 10914 E. Winner Road, on the north side of the street across from the Englewood Theatre.
“We are the home of something special,” he says. “As you know, Englewood is trying to become an art district. We have singing baristas.”
Singing styles range from opera to Celtic. The coffee shop sells Broadway Roasting Co. beans that are freshly roasted “because we want the richest flavor you can get from the beans,” he says.
The coffee ranges from “Black Top” coffee to an espresso macchiato. There’s also hot tea, chai tea and cold drinks. The menu includes sandwiches, salads, wraps and desserts that include a red velvet cake.
Not to mention the art and the history.
As Lawrence explains it, Independence has history, and it has monuments, and it has interesting old buildings. What it needs is art.
The coffee house displays art, and it has live performances. Singer and pianist Johnalita is performing on Friday evenings through September. Other performers are being lined up.
The coffee shop’s hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. to midnight Saturdays.
Starting in September, Englewood will have an art walk on the third Friday of the month.
It’s exciting to see the changes, Lawrence said. His Green Dog Gallery has been open since November.
“The night the art gallery opened you couldn’t get a parking spot,” he said.
The Green Dog is in the Cauger Building. Arthur Cauger, a pioneer in animation, once taught the likes of Walt Disney and B.J. “Bugs” Hardaway (who helped create Bugs Bunny). Another Lawrence business is Changing Seasons Flower and Gift Gallery, also in a historic building at 10900 E. Winner Road.
Lawrence’s galleries showcase a variety of local artists (including his – he paints and does a highly detailed form of pottery). Those artists also give back to the community. Lawrence, for example, just wrapped up a free art camp for chidren.
Lawrence is also the Sunday morning home and garden person on Fox 4.
“I’m the happy part of the news,” he said.
He’s developing the Cottage Gardens on Winner Road on the western edge of Englewood. That’s set to open to the public in two years.
As a business person, he knows what he has to do to compete.
“I’m not Wal-Mart or Home Depot,” Lawrence says. “I don’t have customers. I only have friends.”
Independence, MO —
