Local vendors supply new café in library

The LIFT café in Vestavia Hills’ Library in the Forest is now officially open.

Library Executive Director Taneisha K. Tucker and Mayor Alberto Zaragoza cut the ribbon at the café’s May 30’s grand opening.

In March frequent library visitors Walter Sears and the late Richard Riley of R & S Food Services came up with idea for a café in the library to be supplied by local vendors.

Together, they created a business plan and presented it to the city. The library recommended it, and three weeks ago the city council voted unanimously for it to open.

Royal Cup Coffee is renovating the café into coffee shop-style space.

The café’s menu will contain sandwiches for $5 from Western Supermarkets, Golden Flake potato chips and Coca-Cola products for $1. It will serve donuts and other pastries Saturday mornings from Heavenly Doughnut Company.

“I think having local vendors is neat,” Zaragoza said. “When the Council heard that R & S had come up the idea, they said, ‘This is the right thing to do.’ So we were excited about getting them in here.”

The grand opening featured samples from each sponsor, and as Sears assured the crowd, it was only the opening.

 “We want this place to be a very good place where folks can come, gather, see each other and use the library to reach out to the community,” Sears said. “I think it will give people an opportunity to read, relax, have cup of coffee and just give them a relaxing time around the library.”