Historic renovation of the Bakery Building will bring new life to Foley Main Street

By Jessica Vaughn   Gulf Coast News Today

FOLEY – Local developers have purchased the historic Foley Bakery building located at 118 West Laurel Avenue from the City of Foley. The 10,000 square foot two-story building is the third oldest building in Foley and a contributing structure to the Foley National Register Historic District. Located in historic downtown Foley within the Foley Main Street District, at the corner of Highway 98 (West Laurel Avenue) one block west of Highway 59, it originally housed the Foley Bakery & Dumas Apothecary, but was recently known as the Cactus Cafe. The developers plan to do a full historic renovation to the building and put it back into service for multiple tenants. Katapult Properties and 4Wright Investments have joined forces to bring this building back to its glory.

“We are excited for the opportunity to be working with the City of Foley and Riviera Utilities to complete this project. The project will start taking shape in the next few weeks. A complete refitting of the interior and exterior will bring back the original architectural elements. Jeremy and I chose this building because of its history and because of the commitment of city leaders and Foley Main Street to revitalize downtown,” said Mark Wright of 4Wright Investments.

“We are thankful that the city leaders had the forethought and determination to step in and save such an important and contributing structure. We are also very pleased to be able to move the project forward and put it back into service for generations to come,” said Jeremy Friedman of Katapult Properties.

The City of Foley purchased the building back in 2012 to save the historic building. The building was built in 1925 and housed the Foley Bakery and Dumas Apothecary for many years. Its last tenant, Cactus Café, left the building in 2007.

In addition, Mayor John Koniar added: “When the city took control of the building our initial focus was to make sure it was saved, which involved getting a functioning roof on the structure and closing up exposed areas. Then we turned our attention to finding the right developer to purchase and renovate the building and have the building contribute to our Historic Downtown again. We are excited to have the new ownership team preparing their redevelopment plans for the building and to work with them as their plans become a reality.”

Foley Main Street is committed to increasing the economic vibrancy of the Foley Main Street district by working on recruitment, facilitation, and the aid to businesses and investors interested in the downtown. The primary focus is to increase awareness of the Foley Main Street district and its businesses, as well as working with the existing businesses to increase their strength and vibrancy. Foley Main Street works in concert with the City of Foley and the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce.

Chad Watkins, President of Foley Main Street, Inc. commented, “We are proud that there are investors and developers interested in preserving the history and bringing new life to downtown. We are ready to help facilitate, connect, and be a resource to Jeremy, Mark, and others interested in Foley Main Street.”

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