08/30/2023
A full circle moment. Sorry for the extremely long post.
(TLDR: Butterfield’s last day of business is September 10th. Reduced hours listed below. Kate Smith Soirée coming back to The Public Market in the near future. Read about our journey and decision below)
Almost 5 years ago, I rolled my little white cart into this building and all of you strangers bought macarons from me. You didn’t know who I was or why I was sitting out in the middle of the dining room trying to sell something that wasn’t even popular yet. You kept supporting me until I realized I needed a more permanent space at The Public Market.
So we moved into our cozy little incubator stall in 2019 and made every single inch of that space work. Was it easy? Absolutely not. Was it worth it? 110% and I would do it all over again.
And just when things were at their greatest, the pandemic hit. So we moved to delivery only and again, all of you strangers supported me and we made it through the hardest part of the pandemic. But things still weren’t quite the same. The old Mad Man’s space had sat vacant for months and I spent every day dreaming about making that space into my bakery.
The city had 1 requirement, I had to open a restaurant concept in the space if I wanted it and so Butterfield’s was born. Did I think it would have grown into what it is today? Absolutely not. Was it worth it? 110% and I would do it all over again.
Now 3 years later, our contract is up. We’ve built this successful business and a loyal fanbase (thank you all so much), so I realize it doesn’t make sense to close. But we did exactly what we set out to do. It was an opportunity to keep my team employed through the pandemic, while creating another dining option for Public Market guests during COVID. It allowed me to work on my brand and expand my bakery business, Kate Smith Soirée into Overland Park. Now that the Public Market is fully operating again, it’s the perfect time for me to take a step back into what we do best – desserts.
I don’t plan on leaving the Public Market, it will just be Kate Smith Soirée again. So even though it hurts to let go of Butterfield’s, this is not a goodbye, it’s a see you soon.
