Lustre Pearl Returns

Lustre Pearl shines on with announcement of 2 new locations

There were plenty of tears shed into beers when Lustre Pearl, the little bar that turned sleepy Rainey Street into an nightlife destination, shuttered its doors on March 30 to make way for condos.

But since bidding farewell to the old location with a crawfish boil — and a performance by owner Bridget Dunlap as Stevie Nicks — plans have been underway to bring the Pearl of Rainey Street back with not one, but two new locations.

According to Eater Austin, Dunlap has plans to open a new Lustre Pearl at 94 Rainey St., across from the original location and next door to Bar 96, which is part of the family of bars and restaurants under the Dunlap ATX umbrella. Furthermore, the "Queen of Rainey Street" says plans are underway to move the original Lustre Pearl to East Austin, noting that the team is still in the process of finalizing a lease.

Owner Bridget Dunlap says she's not setting a definite opening date, but hopes to have both locations open in time for SXSW 2015.

So how can Dunlap reopen the original Lustre Pearl in a completely different neighborhood? The bar's official Facebook page offers a look at the process of deconstructing the original bungalow before it's transferred to the new location.

In an interview with CultureMap, Dunlap says she's not setting a definite opening date, but hopes to have both locations open in time for SXSW 2015.

As for names, Dunlap says that also hasn't been finalized. "94 Rainey St. will definitely be called 'Lustre Pearl,' but as for East Austin I've gone everywhere from 'Lustre Pearl East' to 'Ophelia Blue.'" Ophelia Blue, we should note, is a name Dunlap also mentioned in conjunction with her second restaurant project, a yet-to-open Italian restaurant slated for East Sixth Street.

And why dpes she want to save the old house on Rainey? Dunlap tells CultureMap that it's hard to explain.

"I just have a real love for that house. I've tried to talk myself out of it before and I've walked away from other businesses before, but that place just gets to me. It was built in 1895 and the developers will just take it down," she says.

"We could become homogenous like Houston, but it's now a vicious cycle. What you start quietly will become the next big thing and you become the victim of your own success. I know that change is inevitable and that I don't own that street, but I at least think that we should keep what we can."

Lustre Pearl announces two new locations.

Austin Photo Set: News_Adrienne Breaux_Bridget Dunlap_July 2011_Lustre Pearl

Photo by Bill Baker

Lustre Pearl announces two new locations.

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Back to the Plow

Homey Austin jam and bake shop closing and returning to farmers market

Confituras/Instagram

Confituras Little Kitchen is closing its brick-and-mortar store, but feeling optimistic about the future.

A famers market find is returning to its natural environment after six years in a brick-and-mortar location. Confituras Little Kitchen, which specializes in locally sourced preserves, is closing its jam and biscuit shop after service on Sunday, December 22. However, it will continue selling goods at the Barton Creek Farmers Market and via retailers.

Confituras announced the change in a newsletter to its customers in December. The letter called the news "bittersweet."

"Although the brick and mortar will no longer be, the good news is that this will be a fresh new start for us – we are bursting with energy and creativity at the thought of being back out in the community where it all started for confituras," it said.

The kitchen is closing because the lease is up, and the team has decided to "give up the chase." The newsletter emphasized the ups-and-downs of business over the past several years — ones that were chaotic for just about any business, let alone a small, fairly niche food operation.

"So much has happened since we decided to open a brick + mortar – a wonderful kickstarter fundraiser, THE PANDEMIC, the AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC, and an ever growing city," the letter says. "We tried so very hard but never really got our footing. We know we are not alone, many small business are in the same boat. We renewed our lease during the pandemic because we were hopeful we could make it work - the changing times had other ideas."

Finally, it shared how customers could keep enjoying Confituras creations:

The Barton Creek Farmers Market is open at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
A list on confituras.net compiles retailers including Royal Blue Grocery, Farmhouse Delivery, and Antonelli's Cheese Shop.
Jam share and Table22 subscription customers will have more instructions coming soon about picking up their goods in January at the same space, 2129 Goodrich Ave.
Customers may also reach out to inquire about continuing to order meals directly.

The kitchen also hosted frequent events and workshops, but the letter did not address this aspect of the business.

A shorter message shared on Instagram has inspired 63 comments so far, five days later. Customers eulogized the shop for its community feel and providing a sense of regularity during the height of the pandemic thanks to weekend pick-ups.