Opening one business can be daunting. Opening a second business in the same building can benefit from a built-in clientele or suffer from not diversifying geographically. Three Stanley Marketplace businesses have chosen second spots there and are banking on the support of the community they’ve built.

David Lewis had other concepts up his sleeve for a long time and is excited to open La Creperie d’Audrey in the space vacated by Element Knife Company. His excitement level might be equaled, if not surpassed, by his 12-year-old daughter for whom the new restaurant is named.

In December 2016, Lewis opened Miette et Chocolat, a modern French patisserie, where he is the owner and pastry artisan. It was among the first handful of businesses in Stanley Marketplace. La Creperie d’Audrey, slated to open in early September, will be a traditional French creperie serving sweet and savory crepes plus coffee, smoothies, fruit and granola yogurt parfaits, and some baked goods. With the addition of a liquor license, classic cocktails, wine, champagne, and adult smoothies will be served.

For Lewis, the benefits of opening a second business in the same building include utilizing Miette’s kitchen to save on duplicating expensive equipment. Staff members can also cross-train to go back and forth between businesses. And, Lewis can take advantage of the brand he has built and the support of existing customers.

“We’ve been here seven and a half years. I’ve created a brand that I think sets us apart. Putting something in the same building, with the same clientele, means they have an expectation of what this creperie should be, and that’s what we’re going to give them,” Lewis says.

Those expectations can also mean pressure to make sure both businesses are successful.

“There’s always that fear of it not working,” says Lewis. “But I’m a resilient person and if it doesn’t work, I’ll change the concept. This is a great place to be. I like being here.”

At the original Misaki by Stanley location, opened in 2017, tables and chairs wrapped around the exterior of the small sushi kitchen. Now there’s plenty of room for diners in the spot vacated by Mondo Market toward the back of Stanley Marketplace. For co-owners Charlene and Robert Thai, that created a dual-opportunity to open a new, larger location with an expanded menu while rebranding the old location into Lemongrass by Misaki, a quick-serve sushi spot.

Misaki at Stanley takes advantage of having a full kitchen to serve beef bowls and curry. The additional space enabled the couple to also meet customers’ frequent requests for vegetarian sushi and sushi rolls, including plant-based fish that looks and tastes like shrimp, salmon, and tuna. Lemongrass by Misaki will offer sushi, pho, poke bowls, and egg rolls.

Although they have enjoyed a loyal customer base at their first location, which takes advantage of foot traffic at the front of Stanley Marketplace, the Thais have concerns about diners and food delivery services finding them at the back of the building. They are counting on cross-marketing and, especially, the community to help both businesses succeed.

“We live in the neighborhood, so I only serve things I’d want to eat and that I’d want to serve my neighbors and friends,” says Charlene.

Robert agrees, adding, “I don’t see customers, I see friends.”

Chef/Owner Caroline Glover opened Traveling Mercies in December 2023, her second business in Stanley Marketplace after opening Annette in 2017. Located on the third floor of the building, Traveling Mercies is a small oyster, cocktail, and wine bar conceived as a creative outlet and growth opportunity for Glover and staff members who operate it. She also wanted to provide a spot for people before or after dining at Annette, a wood fire restaurant that serves seasonal fare.

For the last three years, Glover had been looking outside Stanley Marketplace for a location to open a second business.

“We wanted something really small, and when this came onto our radar, it felt like the right choice, given Annette being in the same building.” She says she hadn’t planned to open in the same location but couldn’t resist the former Stanley Aviation observation deck.
“Honestly, we didn’t want to saturate our market, but this space feels incredibly special. The view it has is very unique and you can’t get that in a lot of the city. It has proven to be really symbiotic, providing something that Annette doesn’t and that was really important to me,” says Glover, who adds that a lot of regulars frequent both.

One of the biggest benefits for Glover is that it allows her and husband and partner Nelson to have eyes on both places and respond if issues arise. She notes that a negative is not branching out of the neighborhood, potentially not reaching a new crowd. But she adds that a lot of people are traveling from around the area to Stanley Marketplace to see what’s there.

Stanley Marketplace is located at 2501 N. Dallas St., Aurora. Find out more about these restaurants at: stanleymarketplace.com

Front Porch photos by Christie Gosch