If you have been wondering what has been going on at the Foley Bakery building, you are in luck.

In a Facebook post by Foley Main Street, Mayor Ralph Hellmich announced Tuesday, June 4, at a biannual meeting of Foley Main Street, the city’s downtown development group, that Colt Grill BBQ & Spirits will occupy the entire 10,000-square-foot space of the old bakery building in downtown Foley. Colt Grill is scheduled to open in the fall.

According to the post, the news was followed by an introduction to owner Brenda Marie Clouston, who shared her enthusiasm for bringing the popular grill to the heart of the city.

“We grew up in a rural lifestyle. We love vibrant small towns that are trying to preserve their historic authenticity and traditions while navigating modern growth. Foley is one such town and has so much to offer,” Clouston was credited as saying in the post. “We are really enjoying living here, mainly due to Foley's charm; its kind people, local beauty, and practically speaking, the way in which the city works with small business. When a person has a dream and saves their money to open a business in a community, they quickly learn the city's overall attitude toward small business as reflected in the regulations and system. Foley is quite impressive as compared to other cities, as we’ve found the building department to be stringent but equitable, and overall very efficient.”

The history of the Foley Bakery building

Mayor Hellmich said residents have been waiting for many years for the Foley landmark to reopen.

“Everyone has wanted to know what is going on in the old bakery building, or if you are a more recent transplant, the Cactus Cafe building,” Hellmich said. “We have been waiting two years for this and for the last year, we have been trying to keep quiet about who is exactly moving in, so it is my pleasure to let the cat out of the bag.”

The Foley Bakery building has been sitting empty for more than 15 years. Gulf Coast Media has reported in the past on renovation projects for the space, but those projects did not come to fruition.

The building in which the Colt Grill will be located was constructed in 1925 and served as a bakery for many years. It was most recently the site of the Cactus Cafe restaurant, which closed in 2007.

In 2012, the city purchased the building to preserve the structure, recognizing its status as one of the oldest in Foley and a contributing structure to the Foley National Register Historic District. The city later sold the structure to developers Katapult Properties and 4Wright Investments, who have been working to renovate the building and attract a great tenant for the historic site.

The building is located at the northeast corner of North Alston Street and West Laurel Avenue (U.S. 98).

In an article by Gulf Coast Media in March of last year, Hellmich said there has been an interest in the building for residents for several years.

“This is probably just about the most asked about piece of property,” Hellmich said in the previous article.

Colt Grill BBQ & Spirits

According to Hellmich, the restaurant and the owners will fit right in with downtown Foley.

“(Clouston) came up with the idea for the design and many of the menu items while traveling from their residence in North Carolina,” Hellmich said. “As a Southerner, she knows what it will take to make people feel welcome.”

Colt Grill has four locations in Arizona. Clouston said they chose Foley for the newest location after considering many communities in the region.

“We've opened up restaurants in local Arizona cities and we have chosen Foley to put down roots here because it's just an amazing place,” she said. “We were looking at cities to expand to and we always loved the South.”

She said the restaurant will specialize in smoked meat barbecue and will also offer entrees such as hamburgers, salads and tacos.

Besides renovations for the restaurant, the building renovation will also include adding several apartments and a restaurant office on the second floor of the building.

“We're going to provide employee housing upstairs. As we all know who are in small business, it's difficult to find employees. So that's one of the investments for us. To use those apartments,” Clouston said.

Foley’s mixed-use zoning ordinance will allow the building to be used for residential and commercial purposes.

“That mixed-use component is hard to figure out sometimes but when it's done right, it's fabulous as you know,” Clouston said.

More changes in downtown Foley

The Colt Grill is one of several businesses that will soon open in downtown Foley.

The building that housed Fortis College is being renovated as the new location of Camellia Dermatology. The law firm of Milam and Milam is moving into a location on East Laurel Avenue, and Cheeseburger Randys will be opening on Alston Street. The former Jan’s Art Studio on East Laurel Avenue will be converted into the South Baldwin Social.

Darrelyn Dunnmore, Foley Main Street executive director, said several other businesses have also recently opened in the downtown area, including the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, which moved into its new downtown location on North Alston Street.

She said city support has helped bring new life and business to downtown.

“The city is so supportive,” Dunnmore said. “We are so blessed to have a city that invests so much in our downtown.”