New Lacey cafe opens Friday, more bike options on west side and Yelm biz gets a shoutout
Two Lacey residents, who also happen to be cousins, are set to open Just Cuz Cafe Friday afternoon on Sixth Avenue Southeast.
If you’re unfamiliar with the area, it’s near the Lacey campus of South Puget Sound Community College and previously was home to a restaurant called Andy’s Bistro. The cafe is at 4410 Sixth Ave. SE.
The grand opening is at 3 p.m., said cousins and business partners Khaleel Abdulmanaf and Shahid Tam. The opening will feature two DJs, a jewelry artist and some of what they plan to serve, including food and drinks.
On the beverage side of things, expect coffee, including Vietnamese drip coffee, as well as boba — the bubble tea served with tapioca pearls — plus matcha, or green tea, and blended drinks, such as an avocado smoothie.
Friday’s food will begin with sweet and savory pastries, but more is planned, including a variety of sandwiches that will be familiar to some and new to others.s
On the familiar side of things, expect the Vietnamese sandwich known as the banh mi, as well as such items as turkey pesto and grilled cheese sandwiches.
They also want to introduce some items that can’t be found in the area.
One of those would be the “chopped cheese,” a hot ground beef sandwich that looks a bit like a Philly cheese steak sandwich. Khaleel also wants to do a Nashville hot chicken-style sandwich. Fridays will be a day for introducing new food items, they said.
Khaleel was inspired to go into business partly because his father sells the leafy green known as salal wholesale, he said.
Khaleel later made food for family and friends and then took the next step. Shahid recalled his cousin calling him and asking questions — really intense questions — about the bubble tea business, he said.
“It has always been my dream, since I was 18, to open up a boba shop, just because I love boba,” Khaleel said.
Shahid, who moved to the area from California, previously worked in fine dining and later opened a food truck and did some catering.
“We want this space to be something for the youth or younger people to kind of have a place to hang out and just be themselves and have interactions,” Tam said. “But that also goes for college students who are a little bit older, or the professionals who walk by on their lunch break to come and have a power lunch and just get away for a little bit. Plug into the WiFi and be creative or just to unwind and stay away from the office for a little bit.”
Friday’s grand opening hours are 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. After that, the business will operate 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.
“We’re trying to catch a little bit of everything, the early morning coffee crowd and the late night boba snack food crowd,” Khaleel said.
Need a bicycle?
A west Olympia bicycle shop appears to have changed hands, while a new bicycle business has just opened around the corner from it.
Downtown Olympia used to be home to Old Town Bicycle, which later moved to 1900 Harrison Ave. NW. But now that location is home to Trek Bicycle Olympia West. It is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, according to the website.
And just around the corner you can also find Big Stump Bikes at 222 Division St. NW. It is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays, according to its website.
A Yelm shoutout
The Yelm restaurant 507 Taproom will be hosting a visit from America’s Best Restaurants on Sept. 20, the marketing and media business announced.
“Popular dishes will be highlighted, along with an on-camera interview with owner Bill DeVore about the restaurant’s place in the community,” the news release reads.
The episode will be aired on social media channels at a later date, according to the release.
Filming will take place at the 608 Yelm Ave location. There’s also a second location of 507 Taproom at 106 Prairie Park St. in Yelm, which opened in 2022.
507 Taproom is known for smashburgers, using custom-blended ground beef from a local butcher, according to the release.
After being open for just a few months, they won Best Burger in Nisqually Valley, DeVore said.
Nicole’s Bar in downtown Olympia also was the focus of a recent America’s Best Restaurants episode.
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If you know of a retailer, restaurant, coffee shop or other business that is opening, closing, expanding, remodeling, or changing its focus, send an email to reporter Rolf Boone at rboone@theolympian.com.
