Nineteen years ago, interior designer Kristen Latham visited a JOANN fabric shop in Nashville. Along with items for seamstresses, designers and hobbyists, the store had a kiosk with coffee and sandwiches for sale. “It was amazing, sweet and perfect,” she says of the combination. “I wanted to eat there every day of the week.”
She filed the concept away, and in October, she and her partners tweaked it to open The Suburban Farmhouse in the former Sussex Trust and Safe Deposit Co. on Federal Street in Milton. The business is part coffee shop, part bakery and part boutique.
The Suburban Farmhouse is one of three beach-area newcomers who’ve put a unique spin on the traditional. At The Suburban Farmhouse, for instance, the premise is, “What inspires you today?” Latham says. “Is it a new sign for your kitchen? Is it a pillow for the living room? We designed the coffeehouse around that concept.”
Along with coffee, you’ll find baked goods, including the “cruffin,” a croissant-muffin hybrid. The items have become so popular in such a short time period that the shop is expanding its bakery. “We want to be a destination for fresh sandwiches, soups and the famous cruffin,” Latham says.
Once the renovation is complete, local artisan items—such as candles, bath and body products, chocolates, specialty coffee, jams and jewelry—will return to the mix.
Co-owner Nikki Kotwica says Milton has a charm that the masses have yet to discover. “The building has its own character, and as soon as you walk into the door you feel it,” she says. “There’s a beautiful warmth to it.”
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My Sister’s Fault in Milford - Partner Content -
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Baked goods are also a highlight at My Sister’s Fault in Milford, which sisters Rous and Marie Robles opened in December. The business stemmed from the sisters’ longing for the breads and other baked goods that are common in their native Puerto Rico but elusive in the Milford area.
Rous, the baker, makes pan sobao, a Puerto Rican loaf bread, and mallorca, a buttery egg bread that can be sweet or savory. Because the made-from-scratch breads are only used for the bakery’s menu items, you can’t buy whole loaves. “We don’t have the equipment to make 50 pounds of bread,” Marie explains. “[Rous] makes just enough for our breakfasts.”
The shop also sells empanadas, plus treats such as tres leches cake and tiramisu.
Time your visit carefully: The bakery is only open on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Rous is busy making custom cakes the rest of the week.
Novel Tea Nook, also in Milford, sells cupcakes, coffee and tea, but the main emphasis is on novelty items. “We have pretty good artisans around town who have unique items that we sell,” says owner Dee Davis. You’ll find repurposed furniture, antiques, handmade purses and clocks, essential oils and wreaths.
