(Illustration provided by Lehigh Financial Group/W2A)
Café Frais To Offer Fresh Salads, Sandwiches And New York-Style Pizza
Allentown, PA — The former Campus Luncheonette and Store at 23rd and Liberty Street in Allentown’s West End/Muhlenberg College neighborhood will see new life as students return for the Fall 2017 semester thanks to a $1 million loan financing arranged by Lehigh Financial Group.
Jason Lund, a New York investor and commercial real estate broker, used a Small Business Administration loan program arranged by Lewis Edwards of Lehigh Financial Group for the acquisitions of the location. Lund plans a multi-use commercial enterprise that will include a café, storage units and apartments to serve both college students and neighborhood residents.
“This was a difficult project to finance but Lewis and the Lehigh Financial team were great,” Lund said. “They were very responsive, they found the right lender and they were helpful throughout the whole process.”
Lund’s plans call include a new dining option that will be called Café Frais, which will offer a trendy menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner of fresh salads, soups, sandwiches, hot and cold fair trade coffees, smoothies, a variety of desserts and other offerings, including vegetarian option for the health-conscious consumer.
The bottom floor of the building will be covered to Campus Stor-It, which will offer 37 storage lockers with 50 square feet of storage space that can be rented to students or local customers, and the upper floor of the building will be apartments, Lund said.
He has partnered with West End resident Tim Howells, who will serve as the chef for Café Frais, and Brad Beckman, another neighborhood resident, who will be the assistant chef and assistant general manager for the operation.
The renovations are being designed by W2A Architects of Allentown.
Edwards and colleague Jeff Barber said they were happy to help the Café Frais team find the financing to restore the property and improve the neighborhood.
“Jason has a good model here that will really add something new to the West End,” Edwards said. “The Café is going to be a hit with nearby residents as well as students, and the opportunity to bring something solid to complement the other businesses on this corner is a great thing for the city.”
Lehigh Financial Group, LLC is a leading source of innovative real estate capital solutions and financing options for commercial customers. The company, based in Allentown, serves the Lehigh Valley region by providing capital for businesses and investors locally, regionally and nationwide. For more information on how Lehigh Financial Group LLC can help your business, please see our website at http://www.
Jeff Barber
