Grandmas help inspire two new businesses

Patterson is about to get a whole lot tastier.

July 24, 2014; 3:41 PM • by Nathan Cushing

Husband and wife Briant and Nicki Murphy plan to open Lulabelle’s Café next month at 5714 Patterson Avenue,¹ reports Richmond BizSense. The pair were inspired by the New Kent country store Nicki’s grandmother had 35 years ago.

Here’s BizSense:

“I’d like it to be a kind of hub, like a home away from home,” Nicki Murphy said. “That was kind of what my grandma’s store was. It was a place everyone got together.”

Lulabelle’s, which comes from Nicki Murphy’s childhood nickname, will have sandwiches, soups, and salads. Roast beef, turkey, and ham will be roasted in house. It will serve lunch and eventually add dinner service.

Next door to them, Alicia Darnell will open A Peach in a Pear Tree dessert shop at 5726 Patterson Avenue.²

Darnell started selling baked goods to a Mechanicsville restaurant in 2007.

“I started dabbling in the custom cakes, and it just grew from that point on,” she said. “Things have lined up right this year, and I decided to take the plunge and open the storefront.”

She said she’ll draw on her Southern upbringing to stand out:

“I’m originally from Louisiana,” Darnell said. “There are a lot of sweet Southern recipes that come from my grandma and my aunt that we’ll be using to bring to the market.”