Sandra Bullock would like to clear something up: Austin isn’t just a hobby for her and her family. It’s home.
On May 15, the newest public expression of Bullock’s presence here will open in the form of Walton’s Fancy and Staple, a European-style florist, takeout deli, coffeeshop, caterer and bakery at 609 W. Sixth St. “A bride can come in here and get everything she needs, except the dress,” says general manager Jerald Rhodes. The shop will be open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
The historic building has been renovated from the plumbing up, keeping the architecture, wood and brickwork intact, down to the faded ads painted on one of the inside walls. The renovation follows a template established at other Austin properties owned by the actress, including the Stratford Arms building across the street, which houses Bullock’s restaurant Bess, and the building at 400 Nueces St., which plays host to Mellow Johnny’s, the bicycle shop in which Lance Armstrong is a partner.
Curiosity about the business was clear on a recent Thursday night, when the shop’s picture windows were filled with lights and restaurant people for a photo shoot. Passers-by pressed their foreheads to the glass, checking out the cases of baked goods, the tagged home-decor pieces and the bustle of photo activity, some clearly looking for Bullock herself, seeing as how Walton’s is one of those hush-hush ventures that everybody already seems to know about.
Chatter began the day the first shoulder-high Hobart mixer showed up in the darkened building last fall.
Looking closely that Thursday, the window-gazers might have seen Bullock’s sister, baker and writer Gesine Bullock-Prado (in the photo above), who came from Vermont with her coffee-expert husband, Raymond Prado, to consult on the bakery and coffee operations. When she moved a table onto the sidewalk after the photo shoot to give away samples of croissants, fudge and macaroons, the scene turned almost to comedy, with skeptical people wondering why this shiny new place would be giving things away.
Looking closely that Thursday, the window-gazers might have seen Bullock’s sister, baker and writer Gesine Bullock-Prado (in the photo above), who came from Vermont with her coffee-expert husband, Raymond Prado, to consult on the bakery and coffee operations. When she moved a table onto the sidewalk after the photo shoot to give away samples of croissants, fudge and macaroons, the scene turned almost to comedy, with skeptical people wondering why this shiny new place would be giving things away.
Come Friday the 15th, everybody can get a taste.
Look for more details and an interview with Sandra Bullock in the American-Statesman next week.
(American-Statesman photos by Mike Sutter)
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