Nashville Post

MassageLuXe picks Nashville for first Tennessee location

National massage therapy spa MassageLuxe is slated to open its first Tennessee location in early fall in downtown Nashville’s Capitol View.

According to a release, the spa will be located in the mixed-use building with an address of 406 11th Ave. N.and the eventual home to among others, Publix.

The release does not disclose terms of the lease.

The first MassageLuxe (stylized as “MassageLuXe”) opened in April 2008 as a company-operated unit in Rock Hill, Missouri, a St. Louis suburb. Based in Fenton, Missouri, the company, which offers franchises, now operates 58 locations in 14 states spanning New Jersey to California.

“We’re proud to … bring another health-focused retailer and valuable amenity like MassageLuxe,” said Grant Kinnett, who handles retail leasing with Capitol View co-developer Boyle Investment Co. “MassageLuxe not only complements our dedication to offering wellness-centric amenities like boxing, Pilates and yoga at Capitol View, it also brings a luxury service to the community. We’re confident that downtown residents will appreciate the accessibility and services provided at this location.”

MassageLuxe offers massages, facials and waxing services via various membership options for both individuals and corporate entities. The spas provides customized massage therapies such as Swedish, hot stone, deep tissue, prenatal, reflexology, sports and couples massage.

MassageLuxe joins Clean Juice, Jón Alan Salon, drybar, VICI, Starbucks, Your Pie, Club Pilates, M.L.Rose, SVM Boutique, Sercy + Co., and Valerie Boutique. Other retailers opening soon in Capitol View including the Publix, HOTBOX, Rukus Cycling Studio, WeWork, VICI and Central BBQ.

The building in which the spa will operate is in the structure accommodating The Residences at Capitol View, a 378-unit high-end rental residential community that is about 85 percent leased.

A 32-acre mixed-use urban node within the North Gulch, Capitol View is a joint venture between Boyle, Northwestern Mutual and Northwood Ravin.

The Daily Memphian

By Michele Corbett

June 13, 2019

A new health and aesthetics clinic opening in East Memphis demonstrates both a trend in health care and in retail centers.

Not long after yoga-inspired athletic apparel company Lululemon Athletica moved out of the Regalia shopping center at Poplar Avenue and Ridgeway Road and into Saddle Creek in Germantown, landlord Boyle Investment Co. decided to take the retail bay in another direction.

“More and more people aren’t buying clothes in the mall anymore,” said Dr. Phillip Zeni, a board certified vascular and interventional physician. “They’re buying them online, so Boyle needs more leasees who have a reason to be in a brick-and-mortar location like us, where we have to see the patient.”

Zeni is opening Zenith Health and Aesthetics, a spa-like interventional radiology clinic, in the former Lululemon space on Friday.

He’s spent approximately $1 million to transform the 3,000-square-foot store into a clinic with three exam rooms, two ultrasound rooms, one main lead-lined procedure room and two recovery bays.

“While service is huge for the future of retail, it has to create some kind of experiential component for growth and success,” said Jonathan Aur, the commercial real estate broker who represented Boyle in the lease. “(Zeni) did it right partnering up with Farmhouse and Graham Reese to not only create a medical service, but somewhere that truly compliments the other retailers.”

To turn the former retail space into a clinic with a spa-like setting, Zeni hired interior designer Graham Reese and general contractor Grinder, Taber, & Grinder to complete the approximately $1 million renovation. Farmhouse created the branding for the business.

Zeni knew he wanted to be close to the intersection of Poplar and Ridgeway, the third busiest intersection by traffic count in Tennessee — the other two are in Nashville — and within the triangle of three major hospitals, Saint Francis-Memphis, Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown and Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis.

“This financial district is now, I think, the center of the city,” Zeni said. “It’s where the hub of the city is.”

Zeni oversaw several outpatient clinic and physician office renovations over his more than 15-year tenure at Baptist Memorial Health Care, most recently as director of interventional radiology.

After nearly 20 years working in a hospital setting, Zeni wanted the freedom and flexibility that comes with opening his own private outpatient center.

“Dealing with the hospital can be difficult in terms of caring for the patient,” Zeni said. “I wanted to do something different where I can control the care. I really pride myself in taking care of the patient.”

While most radiologists read films, Zeni uses X-ray and ultrasound imaging to guide him during procedures such as treatment for varicose veins.

The traditional treatment for varicose veins was surgical removal that required hospitalization, but technology over the past few decades has enabled physicians to block the vein off in place using a laser, turning a major procedure into a minimally invasive one.

“As we use these microtools more and more, people don’t really need hospitals like they did in the past,” Zeni said. “As the tools and the incisions get smaller, people can go home and recover in their own bed.”Zeni’s wife, Victoria Lim, is an ear, nose and throat specialist at Shea Ear Clinic across the street, one of the first ambulatory surgery centers in the U.S.

“They were trying to get rid of the hospital 30 years ago, and it’s worked well for them,” Zeni said.

Outpatient centers also enable patients to avoid paying a hospital fee.

Over the years, health insurance companies have increased the number of codes and payments for procedures performed at outpatient centers as a cost savings that avoids the hospital fee.

“Dealing with the hospital can be difficult in terms of caring for the patient. I wanted to do something different where I can control the care. I really pride myself in taking care of the patient.”
Dr. Phillip Zeni, Zenith Health and Aesthetics

Blockage of the arteries, or arterial disease, will be another outpatient focus for Zenith Health through the use of balloons and stents.

While many of the vascular procedures will be covered by insurance, the clinic will also offer elective cosmetic procedures such as spider vein removal, CoolSculpting, Botox and fillers that will not be covered by insurance.

All cosmetic procedures will be supervised by physicians, which sets Zenith Health apart from other clinics that have aestheticians overseen by an off-site physician, Zeni said.

Dr. Chris Hall, a board-certified plastic surgeon, is the cosmetic consultant. Plastic surgery procedures such as facelifts could be offered as a future service.

With foot traffic from the shopping center, the clinic will also carry medical-grade skin care line Obagi.

Zenith Health will open Friday with four full-time employees, a nurse, sonographer, X-ray technician and medical assistant. A ribbon-cutting and opening reception will be held from 4-6 p.m.

Community Impact

Austin-based cookie company Tiff’s Treats will open a location in McEwen Northside, a 45-acre multiuse development currently under construction in the Cool Springs area.

This will be the fourth Nashville-area location for Tiff’s Treats, according to a news release. The location is expected to open in December in the center, located near McEwen Drive and Mallory Lane. An exact address has not been announced.

Tiff’s Treats offers delivery services for freshly baked cookies and sweets in a variety of flavors. The company joins Prose nail boutique, Club Pilates, and Perry’s Steakhouse and Grille as recently announced tenants.

Williamson Source

Tiff’s Treats and Club Pilates have announced new locations coming to McEwen Northside, the 45-acre mixed-use environment offering fully integrated commercial, retail, residential and green spaces in Cool Springs.

Previously announced McEwen Northside tenants:

• PROSE Nail Salon to open this fall
• Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille to open summer 2020

“We are excited to welcome Club Pilates, PROSE and Tiff’s Treats to McEwen Northside,” said Phil Fawcett, partner with Boyle and developer of McEwen Northside in a release. “These sought-after brands are just a few of many elements making McEwen Northside a dynamic and desirable destination.”

Club Pilates is a boutique fitness studio that specializes in reformer-based strength-training classes for anyone, at any age or fitness level. McEwen Northside will be its fifth location and the second location at a Boyle property in middle Tennessee.

“The Cool Springs area is overdue for a small-group, reformer-based Pilates studio, and we have had many requests to open in the area,” said owner Tom Fielder. “McEwen Northside is a perfect location for our members due to its ample parking, easy accessibility and exciting co-tenancy.”

The new location is set to open in October.

With locations all across the country, Tiff’s Treats’ fourth location in Nashville is expected to open at McEwen Northside this December. This will be the cookie delivery company’s second location at a Boyle property in Middle Tennessee.

“This project has been very well-planned in terms of mixing retail, office and residential. It’s essentially a self-sustaining community and will offer immediate demand for us as shoppers, workers and residents come and go each day,” said real estate development manager Mike Harris. “Finding such a great spot at a prime intersection like Mallory and McEwen gives us fantastic delivery access to the heart of both downtown Franklin and the Cool Springs area.”

Nashville Post

Kickboxing and strength training studio Hotbox Fitness will move to Capitol View from a Gulch site a few blocks to the south.

The cost to make the move and terms of the lease of space in the building at 500 11th Ave. N. were not disclosed in a release.

The new space is set to open “later this year,” the release notes.

Hotbox (stylized as “HOTBOX”) Fitness opened in Nashville nine years ago at 125 12th Ave. S. in The Gulch. The fitness services business focuses on kickboxing, strength training and yoga programs.

“We’re looking forward to moving our studio to Capitol View and taking advantage of the growth of the area and the opportunity to truly be ourselves through building out a space designed specifically for HOTBOX,” Hotbox operating partner Kyle Mims said in the release. “Capitol View still has the big-city feel of Nashville but is very intentionally built to foster community.”

Capitol View, a built-from-scratch urban node within the North Gulch, just saw the opening of Trolley Park at the 500 11th Ave. N. building. The 2.5-acre Frankie Pierce Park and connection to the greenway system are set to open in June. Capitol View is home to, among others, Pinnacle Financial Partners, M.L.Rose, Starbucks and Jón Alan Salons. Other tenants are coming soon, including WeWork, Publix, Drybar and Central BBQ. The Residences at Capitol View, offer 378 units, is more than 70 percent occupied five months after opening.

“As the district grows, we’re dedicated to providing opportunities for Capitol View residents, office and retail employees, and other downtown residents to stay healthy through the addition of health-focused retailers like HOTBOX Fitness and the park and greenway connection,” said Grant Kinnett, an official with Capitol View co-developer Boyle.

Brentwood Home Page

The Brentwood Farmers Market (BFM) opened its 2019 season last week in the grassy area of CityPark Brentwood. Considering the fact that the market — only in its second season — started in June last year, Market Manager Kasi Haire said she was pleased the first week’s turnout.

As the seasons continue to begin in May, Haire said she hopes more people in the Brentwood community will attend the market earlier in the season.

The BFM is one of several that Haire manages, including the Nolensville Farmers Market and Berry Farms Farmer’s Market.

The BFM will take place every Thursday from 4-7 p.m. until Oct. 17 at CityPark.

A list of vendors is posted to BFM social media days before the each week’s market, Haire said.

The Tennessean

As Nashville lures a steady stream of major new companies downtown, Franklin – the region’s historically most popular office destination – is remaking its workplaces to keep up with the competition.

Three sprawling new developments that together represent an almost $1 billion investment are coming to market now in Franklin’s Cool Springs business district, 15 miles south of downtown. Developers are carefully curating amenities and design layouts to appeal to millennial workers, who will make up half of the global workforce by 2020.

“We’re rethinking the suburban model,” said David Wells, president of Hall Emery Commercial Real Estate. “A focus on the millennial and the younger workforce (has) been a huge trend, which is part of the reason downtown has become such a hot market because of all the things that are around there and all the excitement and energy that accompany that.”

Franklin began establishing itself as a major office hub in the southeastern U.S. in the 1990s, with the addition of Ford Motor Credit and Primus Financial.

When Nissan moved from Los Angeles to Cool Springs in 2008, it cemented the market.

“Talent is driven to our community because of our school system, and talent drives companies,” said Matt Largen, president of Williamson Inc., the county’s chamber of commerce. “Nissan coming was a watershed moment because it was a company moving from the West Coast to what people view as flyover country. It sent a message.”

But feverish development in Nashville in recent years, combined with the millennial generation’s focus on living and working in urban areas, has drawn unprecedented attention to downtown’s office market.

Walking trails, gyms, lounges

While Amazon, AllianceBernstein and EY get ready to move into their downtown Nashville offices, Hall Emery is building out a 71-acre Franklin Park campus off Interstate 65 in Cool Springs.

Ultimately, Hall Emery plans to spend more than $500 million on the mixed-use development. The investment is already paying off with near-fully leased buildings.

Several Fortune 500 companies – UBS financial services, Schneider Electric and HCA Healthcare – have moved in to two new glass-curtain wall office buildings on the site.

The real estate firm also recently opened Cameron at Franklin Park apartments on the campus, and is now planning its third office building, retail shops and restaurants.

Roads wind past walking trails, a lake, patio seating and an outdoor amphitheater.

Both office buildings have gyms with locker rooms. Tenants can also use shared lounge areas, meeting and training rooms, and Fooda restaurant popups at lunch.

Courtney Ignaffo, who works at Acadia Healthcare in Franklin Park, said her favorite aspect of the building is the connection to outdoor open spaces.

“I do appreciate that it’s open and walkable for breaks to get out of the office,” Ignaffo said. “There’s a gym that takes you out to the courtyard.”

Wells said the development team is carefully listening to feedback from the first two buildings to design the third one. They plan to develop a terrace on the top floor next to a cafe and communal conference room to help entice employees to the amenities. The floor will also have space for small company offices.

“We need to intrigue the market,” Wells said. “The light bulb moment for us was to create a space everyone can use. So we put the cafe up top next to the terrace.”

Bring your dog to work

In eye shot of Franklin Park, workers are moving into another new glass-curtain walled office building near the intersection of McEwen Drive and Carothers Parkway in Cool Springs.

Mars Petcare, whose brands include Pedigree, Whiskas and Wild Frontier, built the new $96 million headquarters to modernize its work spaces. The offices incorporate popular coworking-style common areas designed to foster collaboration.

A dog park and indoor doggy daycare allow workers to bring their dogs to work.

“It is important to us that our purpose is evident as soon as you step foot on the campus,” said company spokeswoman Lisa H. Campbell. “Every aspect of the workplace has been designed specifically with our associates and their pets in mind.”

The millennial generation, now roughly ages 23 to 38, has led a shift in office culture from a rigid focus on times and places where work is done to a more flexible schedule, according to published PwC research.

“Millennials have a greater expectation to be supported and appreciated in return for their contributions, and to be part of a cohesive team,” according to PwC’s “NextGen: A Global Generational Study.” “Millennials value work/life balance, and the majority of them are unwilling to commit to making their work lives an exclusive priority.”

Adding ‘vibrancy’ to the suburbs

A few blocks from Mars Petcare, an office building under construction is set to be the first portion of a 45 acre, $270 million mixed-use district called McEwen Northside to open in the winter.

Ten acres of the development are reserved for a large central lawn, two lakes, walking areas and other open space. Retail shops and restaurants will line the streets, amid office buildings, apartments and a SpringHill Suites hotel that will open next spring.

“We’re bringing an urban mixed-use environment to the suburbs to bring vibrancy,” said Phil Fawcett, chief manager of developer Boyle Investment Co. “Our goal is that it will change the character of Cool Springs.”

This is the second mixed-use project in Cool Springs from Boyle, which is developing the site with Northwood Raven. Last year, it opened apartments, offices, hotels and retail shops at the 60-acre Meridian development.

“Now we’re doing something even more urban, and making it walkable with retail on the ground floor,” Fawcett said. “We’re really being thoughtful about what goes next to what. Every use creates a little bit of tension. We’re doing anything we can do to bring people together.”

Developers believe that Cool Springs will continue to grow as millennials get older, get married and buy homes in Williamson County, which has one of the region’s highest performing school systems.

“Thirty years ago, when they broke ground on the CoolSprings Galleria, there was nothing down there. It was horse pastures,” said Colliers Nashville CEO Janet Miller. “That’s hard to grasp when you see it today.”

“It’s truly been one of the southeast’s booming development markets,” she said. “Cool Springs and Williamson County will always have an incredibly robust office environment because of the quality of schools.”

Franklin Home Page

The Berry Farms Farmers Market has kicked off the season Tuesday, May 14, and will be in operation every Tuesday through around mid-October.

From fresh produce to all sorts of meats and seafood to bake goods, the Farmers Market will be open from 4-7 p.m. each week.

“Our opening market will host 32 vendors, including the Peach Truck with Georgia peaches and Oak Grove Farms with tons of strawberries,” said Kasi Haire, manager of the Farmers Market. “Ellie’s Doughnuts is always a crowd favorite!”

Vendors include three other produce farms, one of which is a multi-generational farm located just minutes from Berry Farms.

“You can’t get more local than that,” Haire said.

Other vendors include those selling pork, beef, chicken, seafood, baked goods, bread, crafts and more. The Berry Farms Farmers Market is open rain or shine.

Manager Kasi Haire also conducts Farmers Market operations in Brentwood and Nolensville.

More information can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/berryfarmsfm. For a list of vendors and to sign up to be on the email list, visit www.berryfarmsfarmersmarket.com.

Nashville Post

Vici to take space at North Gulch’s Capitol View

California-based women’s clothing boutique Vici announced Wednesday it will open in late 2019 a brick-and-mortar retail shop at Capitol View in downtown Nashville.

This will be the third physical location for Vici (stylized as “VICI”) and the first outside the Golden State, according to a release. Of note, Vici CEO Sandra Dudum said the company picked Nashville due to the city’s having provided the retailer lots of online customers to date.

Vici (pronounced VEE-chee), which began business seven years ago, specializes in “versatile, contemporary designs for busy moms, working women and self-proclaimed fashionistas.” Many of the store’s outfits are priced under $60, with the two boutique located in Newport Beach near Los Angeles and Walnut Creek near San Francisco, respectively.

The release does not note a specific location or terms of the lease.

Spanning 32 acres in the North Gulch and with a main entrance at the intersection of 11th Avenue North and Dr. M.L. King Jr. Boulevard, Capitol View is a joint venture between Northwestern Mutual, Boyle Investment Co. (leasing, management and development services) and Northwood Ravin (residential developer).

“VICI is one of the most exciting retailers in the country and has figured out a winning retail formula in fashion,” Grant Kinnett, who handles leasing and sales for Brentwood-based Boyle Investment, said in the release. “While this will be VICI’s first location outside of California, they already have a huge online following in Nashville, and we’re confident that they will be a great retail attraction for the entire city.”

Dudum said the energy and atmosphere at Capitol View “fit perfectly with our vision for our space in the city.”

Vici will join several retailers already open at Capitol View district, including SVM Boutique, Valerie Boutique, Jón Alan Salons, Club Pilates, Starbucks and M.L.Rose. Forthcoming retailers include Publix, Drybar and Central BBQ.

The fast-changing North Gulch node is also home to The Residences at Capitol View, a 378-unit apartment building that is more than 70 percent occupied five months after opening.

Nashville Business Journal

A Houston-based steakhouse chain is expanding into Middle Tennessee, arriving first at a mixed-use development in Williamson County’s Cool Springs commercial hub.

Plans filed with the city of Franklin reveal that Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille will occupy about 11,000 square feet of space at the McEwen Drive entrance of the McEwen Northside development, across from the Whole Foods Market and BrickTop’s.

The Commercial Appeal

By Jennifer Biggs

Life is about to get sweeter in East Memphis.

Sweet LaLa’s Bakery is opening a retail bakery and cafe Thursday in Regalia Center. The bakery and cafe will be in the former Lori James spot at 6150 Poplar Ave., Suite 118.

Lauren Young, Sweet LaLa’s founder and owner, decided it was time to add a retail component to her 17-year-old business.

“I started Sweet LaLa’s out of my home kitchen back in 2001,” Young said. In 2014, she formed a partnership with JIFF, a juvenile intervention facility in Downtown Memphis, to expand the business while helping the community. For the past four years, Sweet LaLa’s has baked its cookies out of JIFF’s kitchen, employing JIFF students. As the business grew, it soon became evident to Young that she needed a retail space in order to grow Sweet LaLa’s to the next level.

The menu

Sweet LaLa’s bakery has become famous for its signature cookies. The cookies are soft, sweet and dense, more like a tea cake than a cookie, and come in nine flavors.

“What people say they love about the original is that it’s memorable,” Young said. “Every cookie flavor has started with that one.”

With the new bakery, Young is expanding her line of offerings. In addition to her signature cookies, she will also sell gourmet cakes, assorted pastries, soft-serve ice cream, milkshakes, breakfast pastries and a light lunch. Included in the mix are Young’s great-aunt Hilda’s handmade pizzelles, which she said are great with coffee. The bakery also will have a full coffee bar.

“One of the items we think will be popular with the high schoolers in the neighborhood is our ‘Triple the Fun’ sundae,” Young said. Three cookies are served with soft-serve ice cream and your choice of three toppings. “It’s perfect for sharing,” she added.

Young partnered with City & State on her coffee bar. Sweet LaLa’s will offer a private-label Mexican roast coffee for its drip coffee and has partnered with Sunergos Coffee out of Kentucky for its espresso offerings.

Breakfast will have what Young describes as a “sweet roll” approach, with items that appeal to adults and items for kids. Banana bread mini loaves, Rainbow Cream treats (a Rice Krispies-like treat made with Fruity Pebbles cereal), sausage and cheese biscuits and avocado toast are a few of the menu items to expect.

Young will also carry locally and regionally made sweet treats by various food artisans. Shotwell Candy Co. caramels, Backhouse Foods dessert toppings and Bluff City Toffee are a few of the Memphis-based brands she will sell. Regional offerings include Blackberry Farm jams and jellies and Soberdough bread mixes.

The space

The retail space at Regalia Center is close to 3,000 square feet and includes an upstairs. The bakery, retail space and cafe will be on the ground floor.

Designed by Natalie Lieberman of Collect & Curate Studio, the space is cheery and open.

“We want people to feel like they are walking into someone’s really nice home kitchen,” Young said of her vision for the bakery.

The centerpiece is the bakery, which is an open display kitchen. Guests can watch all the action as the bakers hustle and bustle in the kitchen creating the sweet treats for the display case and special orders.

Floor-to-ceiling windows, white walls — some with wallpaper and others with tiles, as well as tables with zinc tops, create an inviting cafe space. Seating will be for 35 to 40 guests.

A flight of stairs leads up to an event center on the second floor. That space is divided into two rooms, one being a private dining room and the other being an open mezzanine that overlooks the main floor. The upstairs space can seat up to 24 guests.

The event space will be used for private events as well as cooking classes. Young plans to start by offering two to four classes per month. “We will be doing everything from decorating classes to making cookies from scratch,” Young said. “Our local vendors will also be hosting classes.”

The mission

As her business grew, Young quickly realized she needed a retail component that operated every day. But she knew she wanted her new bakery to continue her mission of making a difference.

Embracing the theme “make like sweeter,” she plans to highlight philanthropic ventures like Thistle & Bee and Shepherd’s Haven Pottery.

JIFF will also continue to be part of her enterprise.

“We have partnered with JIFF for them to make 500 cookies per week,” Young said. “Every nine to 12 weeks, two students will be trained for us, not only in making cookies but also getting their ServSafe certification to help them better find permanent employment in a food service job.”

Young has also hired some JIFF graduates to work at the new bakery, including John Young (no relation to Lauren Young) who has been nicknamed by the staff as “Dr. Sprinkles.”

“Every day when I come in the store I get giddy knowing that one cookie turned into all this,” Young said as she looked around her new bakery.

The Daily Memphian

By Jennifer Biggs

Chances are you never baked a cookie for the reason Lauren Young started baking them at Sweet Lala’s, which will open in its new location at Regalia on Thursday.

She had a home baking business and was also involved with the program JIFF, Juvenile Intervention & Faith-based Follow-up. When the kitchen at the JIFF center in South Memphis lost its operating grant, she decided to move her bakery there and pay the JIFF kids to work for her as she taught them a trade. There was this plus:

“When you’re out somewhere with people and you start talking about juvenile justice, maybe people stop listening or they think it’s too serious, so I thought, well, maybe I can still have the conversation but change it to something more upbeat. Like a cookie,” Young said.

Savory sausage and biscuit pinwheels are a new item at Sweet Lala’s. (Photo courtesy of Lauren Young)

And so she did. She operated Sweet Lala’s from the former Abe Scharff YMCA at 254 S. Lauderdale from 2014 until she started preparing to open the Regalia shop. John Young, who is not related to Lauren, is a former JIFF participant who has moved to the East Memphis location with her and is working as a lead cook in the kitchen, training others how to operate the bakery. She plans to hire more kids from JIFF soon.

John Young was 15 when he was arrested and ended up in the program after going through Juvenile Court.

“It was sort of an entrepreneurial opportunity I was involved in,” he said.

But as it involved stealing and selling lawn equipment, it was of the illegal sort, and he was prosecuted for it.

“I’ll tell anyone about it, because that’s who I was, and now I’m comfortable with who I am,” he said. “If my story helps anyone, I tell it.”

He entered JIFF (find out more information by clicking here) before Lauren had the space for Sweet Lala’s. When he met her, he was 19 and though he was done with his vocational training there, he kept coming around because he needed the stability of the center.

“I felt comfortable there,” he said. “I was still finding out who I was as a person, and finding out can be hard. Going through changes and finally changing are two different things.”

He was there anyway, so she asked him if he wanted to work. He did, and they’ve been on the same team since.

Humble Pies, stuffed with fruit on a cookie crust, are ready for the oven.

The new bakery is in a prime spot, next to Ronnie Grisanti’s, Great Wines & Spirits and Oak Hall. It will primarily serve breakfast and lunch, but there’s an upstairs event space that’s already booked for baking classes and available for other events such as birthday parties or even corporate events.

A grab-and-go case will include items from Franco’s Italian Kitchen, and owner Franco Contaldo has agreed to provide pizzas for private events; there’s also a package available from Central BBQ, just across the street, for private events. Dave’s Bagels are one of several other local and regional products that will be available.

But the bakery with the motto “Make Life Sweeter” is also still, well, a bakery. Eight signature cookies will be available daily. There will be a red velvet cupcake every day (and more coming); croissants; a hand pie called Humble Pie that’s made from a cookie crust and stuffed with fruit; cinnamon rolls; and savory items such as sausage rolls made with biscuits.

Hours at Sweet Lala’s will be 7-11 a.m. Mondays and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Lauren Young is excited to show off her new space and her new food.

“We’ve only been a cookie business, so this is a big deal for us,” she said. “It’s like our coming-out party.”