The gas station in the 1970's
We aren't too sure how old our building is but we do know what it started as a gas station on Virginia Street in Reno in the late 1960's. Old photographs show that sometime in 1971 the gas station was moved to Washoe Valley. That was back in the day when they actually moved buildings instead of tearing them down. The gas station eventually fell into disrepair. Remember video cassettes? The gas stationed had evolved into a video store and post office.
On July 1, 2005, Luanne fell in love with the old building. She was influenced by Chef Michelle Palmer to turn the old gas station into a cafe because it would be good for the valley. So, that's what she did. She started with serving coffee and pastries for donations. Eventually she raised enough donations to get a stove. But why stop at just a stove, why not serve breakfast to go with the coffee?
On July 1, 2005, Luanne fell in love with the old building. She was influenced by Chef Michelle Palmer to turn the old gas station into a cafe because it would be good for the valley. So, that's what she did. She started with serving coffee and pastries for donations. Eventually she raised enough donations to get a stove. But why stop at just a stove, why not serve breakfast to go with the coffee?
Luanne
Soon enough, the former gas station was now the Postal Cafe. With the help of Luanne's two young daughters, Jaime and Jordan (who were 10 and 11 at the time), the cafe soon enough became the unofficial meeting place for the community of Washoe Valley. As the years went by, the building went through more renovations. The cafe business was going well and there were soon "Featured Chef's" dinners occurring in the evenings. Many customers have fond memories of the chef's dinners. In the summer evenings, the cafe would have popcorn and movies. Luanne was always thinking of ways to make the cafe fun and interesting for people. However, in the recent years, Luanne's girls have grown up and have moved on away from restaurant life-college, adventures, and enjoying life. Luanne herself has been moving on to another career. She still loves working at the cafe but she's looking forward to a career change. She's always trying to learn new things and is always keeping busy with helping people. She's thankful to her regular customers at the cafe for helping her raise her girls through the years. They treated them like they were their own daughters, watching out for them and giving advice on life (even if they weren't asking for advice).
On the edge...
Here we are at the end of 2013, getting ready to enter the new year with a new owner. With Luanne's blessing and guidance, Bella is ready to pick up the reins (or spatulas) of the Postal Cafe. She fell in love with cafe when she first laid eyes on it. She could tell that the cafe was loved and cared for, not by just Luanne but also by the community. Bella had first moved to Reno in 1996, fresh out of high school. However, she found herself in Portland Oregon to pursue her culinary dream. She graduated from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts with an Associates degree in Baking and Pastry Arts. She worked as a production baker in a few of Portland's renowned bakeries, building on her baking knowledge and experience. Soon enough, she found her way back to Reno to be closer to family and further her baking vision. She sees the Postal Cafe as the perfect place to share her passion for good food and excellent pastries. She's proud to be a part of the community of Washoe Valley.
Check out a review for Postal Cafe in the Reno News & Review: https://www.newsreview.com/reno/signed-sealed-delivered/content?oid=14740583