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Treats Etc a Seattle Styled Coffee House in the Heart of Elkader’s Downtown District
by Joleen Jansen
This article appeared Wednesday, July 19th 2006 as a part of the, “From Here to There Great Food is Everywhere” series of the Clayton County Register..
“This is really cool, we need a place like this in our town,” says a customer, who happened to be visiting Elkader, to Janet McNece, owner of Treats Etc. It is true the new Treats Etc coffee house, restaurant, ice cream parlor and wine retailer is a welcome addition to Elkader’s downtown district.
Split between comfy slip covered seats along the wall with fashionable high table and stools through out the dining area, the vibe is trendy and exciting. The walls are decorated with local artist works and a fascinating collection of deep sea diving photographs on loan from Glenn Pollock east coast photographer and architect. The high antique tiled ceiling anchor the beautiful contemporay light fixtures designed for the spot by Elkader’s, Fire Farm lighting makers. The floor is covered with a hard to believe ceramic tile, hard to believe because the floor looks just a like a wide planked wood floor that could have been original to the building.
The stream of patrons who walk in just to check out the new place has not let up since Treats opened in late February of this year. Janet credits her very good friend and Elkader resident, Charles Schiller as the mastermind behind the stylish feel customers seem to relish.
Treats adjoins one of the towns anchor and mainstay stores the Buttery. Together the two establishments exude a sense of class and style which does not go unnoticed. The recent combination plays a major part in the town’s growing reputation as a great place to eat and shop. The pass through doorway between the two businesses has been a great “win win” situation. Customers waiting for their meal or a coffee drink often browse through the Buttery and in turn Buttery customers have a tough time resisting the tempting aromas of Treats Etc.
Janet McNece never dreamed of living and operating a small business in a small town anywhere, not to mention the rural state of Iowa. She had a comfortable life in California’s heavily populated, affluent Southern Orange County. There she managed an insurance firm and had a nice home she shared with her daughter Jennifer. Over the years and especially after a visit to friends who recently had moved from California to Elkader she began to find herself growing tired of her job and the craziness of life there. The cost of living and values of the people began to wear on her. More importantly her long time, good friends Charles and Janine Schiller and their daughter Leslie and her husband, Adam Pollock had left the southern Orange county area for Iowa’s, greener pastures.
It was not long after the Schiller group had moved to the area in 2001 that Janet and her daughter, Jennifer visited them in early 2002. The mother and daughter were instantly hooked by the charm of this tiny northeast Iowa town. Janet explains, “My first impression was that I thought the town was beautiful and the people were so friendly. Nothing in California compares to this.” She returned to California very much considering a move to Iowa yet she knew timing would be everything. Sadly, in the next few years Janet lost her older sister to cancer. Also during those years her daughter Jennifer would be completing high school.
“I remember talking to Jennifer about moving here in the future when Jennifer told me ‘I could not imagine not living in the same state as you Mom,’” Jennifer adds, “I sort of talked her into moving here when we did.” Jennifer decided she might as well attend college here instead of getting started out in California and then after that have to think about making a major move.” So that is what they did; they moved to Elkader in August 2005 forever saying goodbye to their fast paced life in California. By then Janet had convinced her older parents, Herb and Irene Blickham, to also make the move to Elkader.
Now that she is here, Janet and Jennifer do not find themselves living a life of regret or even feeling a little sentimental about their home in Southern OrangeCalifornia. “Everyday I drive around I am in awe of the landscape here. I love this town,” says Janet. She and her friend Charles Schiller agree it is the simple things that make life here so much easier and less stressful compared to their former life in California, for example, “Here we can always find a parking spot.”
Once settled in her, new to her but actually a beautiful old Victorian, Elkader home,(a home that actually houses separate living quarters for her parents,) McNece began to set her sights on making a living in this small town. Jennifer did not even get a chance to move into her mom’s new home before she left to become a University of Dubuque school of nursing student, leaving Janet alone to figure out for herself how life was going to be in this tiny little town.
Long before Treats Etc, Elkader residents became addicted gourmet coffee drinks; thanks to the brainchild of local business owners Lee and Diane Aiken. Lee and Diane began operating a small coffee shop in their cinema during the hours they were not showing movies. Coincidently, about the time Janet McNece was looking to open a new business in Elkader, Lee and Diane Aiken were looking for a buyer for whom to sell their coffee business. Janet had already been thinking about running a coffee shop with extras like ice cream. Timing became essential as she was definitely interested in the Aiken’s business at the same time the key location adjoining the Buttery was also up for sale. McNece purposefully made the decision to buy both, the business and the building and after only a month or so of construction at the new location the brand new Elkader business, Treat Etc. was about to open its doors to an eager audience. ring a lunch menu was not a part of McNece’s original business plan but all the while she was busy building the new coffee shop, she claims locals were hounding her to add lunch to her repertoire of offerings. Before opening her doors for the first time she put a unique lunch menu in place and then on the first day of business February 25th, 2006 she watched the store’s patrons greet it with open arms and more importantly hungry stomachs.
The menus are well planned and unusual for typical area fare. For example the Grilled Portabella Mushroom and Sweet Onion Sandwich served with provolone cheese on focaccia bread has been a huge hit since the business began. This summer, crowd pleasers have been various “Wraps” like the Chicken and Caesar Wrap or the Cashew Chicken Wrap. these are basically a chicken salad served wrapped in a tortilla. Each of these selections is low carb and a low fat offering and hit a homerun in the heart healthy crowd. The business operators always have a vegetarian alternative available to interested patrons. This reporter’s favorite to date has been the grilled brie with pear or apple on focaccia. All of the sandwiches are served with a side salad like a pasta salad that have a very unique and tasty flavor. For the less adventuresome Treats always has a wholesome turkey or ham on whole wheat sandwich available. Even in their coffee drink line Treats is mindful to provide plenty of healthy sugar free options.
Treats serves plenty of coffee and plenty of lunches but also tons of ice cream cones, sundaes malts and shakes. “We offer eight flavors of ice cream with the most popular being Mackinaw Island Fudge and Carmel Collision. We serve quality Cedar Crest Ice cream which has been enormously popular.”
When asked if she would ever be tempted to move back to California, Janet quickly explains, “No never! I recently returned for a visit and I couldn’t stand it and I couldn’t wait to get back here away from all the traffic. My friends asked aren’t you glad to be home? I said this isn’t home; I can’t wait to go home. I was glad to visit them but that was it. I love this business, I love meeting all the people and getting to know new
friends.” Hooray, Elkader area residents rejoice. Then tell all your touring friends, Treats Etc is here to stay.
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