CLIFFHANGER ENDING LEADS PEACOCK BOOKS & BISTRO TO PEACE PLAZA!

November 17, 2024

Personal Piece by Lisa Loucks-Christenson

Published in the Rochester Sun Times News on September 23, 2024 at 12:49 AM.

Rochester, Minnesota (RSTN) — Peacock Books & Wildlife Art by Lisa Loucks-Christenson expanded their inventory, hours, and menu by adding a bistro to their downtown Rochester presence. The Peacock Books & Bistro now has a shorter name for their new space. The former owners’ Green-N-Fresh name is now a brand of Peacock Books & Bistro, so the signage will remain. The Green-N-Fresh(tm) Packed-to-Go is popular with patrons coming in for a quick lunch that’s in the hot case. All other dinner options are cooked-to-order through the Peacock Books & Bistro.

The ambiance is warm, colorful, and light-filled. The walls on one side of the book bistro are arranged in sections, with over 28 genres available. Their history collection is one of the finest, they’re told. Their books that seem to defy chapter endings, and instead, offer their reader’s new ideas, inspiration, and hope. Some of their books offer escape from the bad diagnosis, or people who got great news but are tired from a long day of appointments. Still, others are given the promise a long life ahead, if they follow their doctors’ advice.

All sold by the Christenson’s, whose very hands curated the books and sometimes wrote and illustrated them. They have stocked their books in every direction on the shelves that grow deeper in books with each passing season. Some have traveled across the distances with them, others didn’t make the journey and were ruined due to unforeseen floods, cracks in the ceilings, and other circumstances. Their hands are the same—age and their location, location, location, and location, hasn’t broken their faith: it rooted it.

They are the same hands they’ve used to pray together for over three decades as a couple fighting, some years, their own life-threatening health battles. Now, equipped with experience and countless stories shared with them by customers, they pray over their clients. They try to be that ounce of hope when things didn’t go well. They smile with them and give praise when miracles happen, because they do. They try to offer hope and inspiration by sharing their own health battles. Sometimes, they just listen and break fudge samples open to give a lift.

They had a choice of this location or another. It took one simple prayer to find their answer: “God, where do you need us?” That prayer turned the page in the Christenson’s newest chapter.

“Seasons come and go. We know all about mold, and have heard the thunder and seen the rain—inside. We didn’t call on the insurance agency, like we were told to do by landlords. We called out to God, and He sent in His divine agents to help us while we watched our books melt into soup. So, we changed our outlook and soup pot. If God wants us to make soup, meals, then we’ll serve fudge, desserts, and coffee with our new replacement books, too.” — Lisa Loucks-Christenson

Inside Peacock’s charming atmosphere, the scent of baked goods waifs through the air. A mix of live and faux plants add their own splash of color to the wildlife art above the roomy booths, casting their almost green shadows unto the books.

The floor to ceiling picture windows face out to the Peace Plaza and the Chateau Theater that once housed Barnes & Noble booksellers downtown location. A fond memory that still reflects in their windows—like an old friend shining close by—right under the former Green-N-Fresh space window decals. Peacock Books, on a leap of faith, some say, right into the wings of the doves that give countless visitors a moment of flight while enjoying the Peace Fountain. The Christenson’s put their hope in God and are reminded of their prayers every time they look out their windows and see the doves reaching toward the God they serve, in the heart of the city, on the Peace Plaza.

Peacock Books & Bistro opened on September 17, 2024, and the Christenson’s offered their books, scones, and fudge to customers. Their food service will be offered starting on the 24th of September, with a variety of foods that the Christenson’s customers’ loved most from their former locations. Their new menu includes: 150+ rotating flavors of fudge, scones, cakes, pies; turkey dinner waffles, Reuben waffles, fried chicken and waffles with or without maple walnut fudge, fruit and fudge waffles, and entrees that change daily with lunch and dinner.

Peacock’s hours will fluctuate with customer needs. Right now, a morning to afternoon is working well, and a few hours in the late afternoon into the early evening seems to be what customers are asking for. Online ordering will be available in the coming weeks, too. To make the long day possible, operating Monday through Saturday, a short break in the afternoon will be taken around 2PM.

The Christenson’s know, from experience, that too will change with the seasons and customers that come back, needing them in the afternoon too. Sometimes it’s the only time they have to look for that book they’ve been searching for. Or the only chance they have before heading home to “everywhere in the world” to get the experience of that afternoon trip to a bookstore, a cup of coffee and treat, or early dinner they needed after a long day of tests at the Mayo Clinic.

Lisa’s husband, David, makes the fudge. The fudge didn’t stop at the 7000 pounds sold through the Christenson’s appearance on QVC Television. It was also sold through Figi’s, Birchland, and big name brands under other labels. They say absence makes a heart grow fonder, and apparently, that’s also true of fudge! The fudge in the case sells out to customers that have traveled miles to get the decadent chocolate treat. Some slice it on oatmeal, others chop it up and put it on their ice cream, some customers eat their lot in one setting. Some go home and get none—their spouse ate it on the way back to the hotel.

Their fudge is sold with a rotating selection of flavors. Some of our best-selling fudge flavors include chocolate mint, maple walnut, chocolate walnut, dark chocolate caramel sea salt, and chocolate peanut butter cup. Caramel and candied apples and Halloween flavors will return in October 2024.

All of their food items are made in-house from scratch from recipes the Christenson’s have developed over the years from their own trial and errors and family recipes passed down; many of them already served to their customers that enjoy their ever-changing menus.

Some of our items include (on a rotating basis): Lisa’s great grandmother’s recipes from the 1890s, with family roots in Czechoslovakia, and include prune, poppy seed, apricot, Kolache’s, a variety of breakfast and dinner entrees. She will also be making her grandfather’s entrees, using German recipes, handed down to her. He was a former cook for Rochester’s State Hospital, her grandmother’s recipes, her mom’s, sister’s, and her own.

Lisa’s scones, bars, cakes, and pies are made fresh every day in limited quantities. When they are sold out, customers can come again for new sweets she will make on the next business day. Drinks will be teas Lisa’s made at their other locations. Her fruit tea flavors have their own cult following.

When the weather grows cold, the Christenson’s will bring back their Hot Fudge-Chocolates. These flavors are not available anywhere but in their store since they are all made using their fudge, homemade marshmallow and whip cream, and toppings.

At Peacock Books & Bistro, the coffee pot is always brewing, made fresh, one pot at a time.

A different soup flavor will be available each day along, along with their homemade chicken noodle soup.

BOOKS & ART

Lisa Loucks-Christenson’s award-winning children’s book illustrations, exhibits, and wildlife documentaries are featured throughout space. Her books, art cards, photos, prints, and syndicated comics are available for sale.

On September 20, 2024, Lisa signed copies of Starlingo(tm), her newest syndicated comic that had just released. The first copy went to Belgium, the second to a local family with a baby due the last week of September. The next copy went to a family leaving Rochester and moving to Chattanooga, another to one of her regulars from Illinois. Throughout the day, visitors got to take home a little “Starlingo.”

Each comic features a King James Bible verse and a story that relates to it told through the comic panels. Allie is the star of the comic. She’s Lisa’s real life starling, one that she rescued in the summer of 2022. A fledgling bird that fell from somewhere. One that appeared, surreptitiously, on a Friday night when Lisa and her husband were leaving her bookstore. Other than a robin, sipping water in the Peace Fountain, giving Lisa side eye looks and getting her to notice the baby bird, all alone, unable to fly . . . the bird that inspired this comic.

Lisa had been diagnosed with a bird allergy over a decade ago. When she saved it from being hit on Second Street, and brought it to the truck, her husband asked, “What are you going to do? You’re allergic to birds?”

That’s true, but the only answer she could respond with was, “God will have to figure it out. She needs me.”

The comic follows highlights of imagined and sometimes real banter (starlings talk!) while the outspoken starling and Lisa figure out life and God’s plans for the duo’s future.

INVENTORY

The Peacock Books & Bistro inventory includes new releases, new and used books, signed copies, vintage books, full collections, rate books and manuscripts, and exclusive books and personalized books from Lisa’s publishing house and her Story Antics® brand.

”We take great pleasure in featuring an exclusive assortment of books written by award-winning authors, as well as shining a spotlight on the exceptional literary works produced by our talented regional writers.” — Lisa Loucks-Christenson.

Thousands more books are curated in the Christenson’s inventory but will require a few extra steps for the proprietors as they manage their orders from two locations, another 2000 square foot space (or thereabouts), that isn’t accessible to the public, except by their in-store catalog (one that may be opened to the public, in time).

With specialized collections, and ever-changing shelved books, the husband and wife team and Christenson family hopes to offer their regulars and new customers a tasteful space to relax, get a bite to eat, and purchase new releases, a favorite book from childhood, a unique book for a new hobby, exclusive foods, Lisa’s personalized books, and art that is only available through their store and Lisa’s networked brands.

Almost any book can be ordered. At this time, unless it’s a large collection, the Christenson’s aren’t buying books. They want to focus on our customers in the store, not inspecting books during business hours. If you have an estate with a large collection of books in a specialized genre that you are in charge of selling, reach out via the website contact form.

CHRISTIAN BOOKS & GIFTS

One small room is dedicated to selling new Christian books, bibles, and gifts. Used Christian books are available too. Jewelry, decor, Lisa’s religious books, documentaries, and art are sold under the Old Country Cross label.

What’s the menu for the week? Check the website blog, a menu will be posted or links to buy items ahead. The menu will not be updated during peak times. Some items may sell out before you arrive. This menu is offered to the public to see what is coming for the week.

If you have a large group ordering, call ahead. We don’t serve alcoholic drinks. Small cash accepted, but no large bills. Due to prior incidents, cash kept on site is minimal. Major cards and debit cards are accepted that clear processing. Wait times can be sped up by calling in and paying online so we can have your order ready when you arrive, give or take up to 15 minutes, depending on unexpected delays.

Online delivery will be implemented in the future. We prefer double-checked quality service over fast delivery and missing items dashers leave behind. Reservations are not accepted for this casual dining experience, but if you want a certain table or booth, you’ll need to be present to get it. www.peacockbooksbistro.com. Phone: (507) 206-0377.

Fudge by Dave Christenson

Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate

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