Tracy and Kathy Dancer purchased the Scottish Rite Temple at the Bourbon County Tax Sale in January 2022.

Since the purchase of the historic building in downtown Fort Scott, the Dancers  opened a Mercantile and Market at 110 S. Main in February 2023 and in the next few weeks will be opening a cafe in an adjoining room.

“The shop is called Mercantile and Market and Cohn’s Cafe,” Kathy said. “It was run from 1926 to 1948 by Sidney Cohn and his wife as a cafe, in the exact space.” The cafe is adjacent, south, to the mercantile.

For many years, the space was used for fundraisers for Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs.

This week, they will have a reservation only preview, no walk-in patrons, from August 22-26.

The grand opening to the rest of the public is September 1.

The preview this week is to train new staff.

“This will be to train new staff on the menu,” she said. “To give our staff a chance to adjust things before we open. This is practice so when we do our grand opening, we will be prepared.”

There are 10 employees, not counting Tracy and Kathy.

The cafe will use locally sourced ingredients to make fresh breakfast and lunch dishes: quiche, crepes, bakery items, salad, soup, sandwiches, and other featured meals, plus drinks.

The meats, eggs, and veggies are lined up from local suppliers and the menu will be adjusted based on seasonal availability, she said.

On the horizon for the cafe are syrups made from local orchards and additionally a tea service.

“It will be a pot of tea that comes with scones, biscuits, and tea sandwiches,” she said. “We will be starting a tea pot collection for our tea service.”

People will pay for the meal in the mercantile section, much like a Cracker Barrel Restaurant.

Following a conversation with a downtown resident, the cafe will be selling milk, eggs and bread from a cooler she purchased.