An ambitious restaurant plan is taking shape downtown on Sixth Street in the historic Young Hardware building, where Heather and Graham Dawson hope to be serving guests hungry for an inviting atmosphere, good service and excellent food and drinks.
Their dream for The Mixer restaurant and bakery hinges, in part, on a Kickstarter campaign that ends early in the morning Wednesday, Jan. 2.
With a goal of $50,000 to help finance construction and startup costs, the internet crowd-funding effort had 76 backers pledging roughly $30,500 as of Friday afternoon. Donors can pledge at various levels and receive food, drinks and merchandise when the restaurant opens in several months.
The Mixer is the second downtown venture to seek backers through Kickstarter. In late 2015, Hopkinsville Brewing Co. received $40,044 from 142 supporters. The nano-brewery, which opened in 2016, had set a goal of $35,000.
Graham and Heather both have restaurant experience in Hopkinsville, as does their head chef, Lane Meinert.
Graham worked for his mother at the Coffee And on Main Street and later became a bartender for Harper House. Heather has been a baker for Harper House and independently – and previously worked for caterers in California and Kentucky. Lane has 20 years of experience as a chef and was the first chef at Harper House.
Heather believes their combined experiences will help them create a restaurant that appeals to Hopkinsville.
“You have to be consistent with quality, service and hours,” she said.
The Mixer will be open from 10 a.m. until 9 a.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Heather’s baked goods and a few sandwiches and a soup of the day will be offered during lunch. A full menu with Lane at the helm will be served in the evening. A custom-made bar in the center of the building will feature elements from the hardware store’s counter.
Graham’s custom drinks will include versions that pair with Heather’s desserts. He’ll also have craft beers and local offerings from Hopkinsville Brewing, M.B. Roland and Casey’s Distillery. Tea will come from Milkweed.
The restored building will be rustic and comfortable, Heather described.
The kitchen will be in the back and below the mezzanine, which is being rebuilt. Upper-level windows at the front of the building, which had been covered years ago, are being installed.
The target for an opening is late summer. The exact date will depend on state approval of their plans and construction.
There are many family influences in The Mixer. Graham’s mother’s tomato pie, which was the most popular item for years at Coffee And, will inspire a tart. There’s also a scone recipe from Graham’s grandmother. Lane’s mother, who has been in the restaurant business in Knoxville for many years, is helping with menu ideas. Dinner offerings will likely include steak, seafood, pasta and smoked chicken.
The downtown location is key to The Mixer’s concept.
“We want to support all of the businesses downtown,” Heather said. That includes other restaurants because attracting more people downtown benefits everyone, she said.
In a post to the Kickstarter page on Friday, Graham offered an optimistic tone but acknowledged they had close to $20,000 to be raised by 6 a.m. Jan. 2 to reach the $50,000 goal. The donors’ pledges are not collected if the goal is not met.
He wrote, “Heather and I are beyond excited to rejoin the downtown community, and community is what excited us most about the concept of a Kickstarter. For someone who contributed to this campaign to be able to walk through the doors, look around and feel a sense of pride that they helped make The Mixer a reality would just be beyond amazing for us. The Mixer will always belong to the people of Hopkinsville, but this is your chance to actually have a hand in its creation!”
(Editor’s Note: Hoptown Chronicle Editor Jennifer P. Brown pledged to The Mixer’s Kickstarter campaign.)
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
