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Sid

Bakery/butcher shop coming downtown

By Michael Butler

There has been much interest and anticipation about work at the Guest House. The property was purchased by Tallassee native Corrie Sid, who is turning the Tallassee institution into an inn/restaurant.

Sid has spent the last 27 years in California but is returning home to invest in Tallassee. She has just made another acquisition. Sid purchased District 19 in the downtown area. Sid's vision for the building is a bakery/butcher shop.

"I've been partnering with a chef out of Auburn trying to keep him interested and invested in the Guest House," Sid said. "He and his wife and were about to open a venture in Auburn. His wife is a baker. They'd been offered a really nice deal on a retail space to open a market. I was like, I can't have them have part of their business in Auburn and part of their work time in Tallassee. I just wanted to see if they could commit to Tallassee 100 percent.

"I saw that 19 Sistrunk was on the market. They came over and toured it. They fell in love. I said, 'Commit to Tallassee and let's do this now.' We agreed. I bought that building without even seeing it. I had really nice fingernails when I got to Tallassee, and they are chewed to a nub now."

The Guest House

Sid has done her research on bakeries and butcher shops.

"It may seem like an odd combination, but there are many of these around the south. We're going to take the downstairs and divide it with one part being the butcher shop and bakery. I would love for a vendor to come in and have the other retail space."

Downtown merchants met on Oct. 15 to discuss possibilities for future developments in the district.

"I was really thrilled with the number of people. I had talked with Haley and Dylan (Daniel) to see how they're coming with the coffee shop at Restoration 49. That place is stunning. I said, 'Hey would you guys be interested in us talking about the concept of a business association?' When I owned a business in California, we had a business association. This was an idea of bringing downtown business owners together to talk about the kind of downtown they want."

Sid hopes to be open this spring in downtown and to be breaking ground at the Guest House within six months.

"It's exciting having been gone away so long. When I see what Tallassee can be, I can't sleep at night. Other people see that too. There are other people that are looking at small town America. Tallassee is one of those places. We have an opportunity to drive the boat in the direction we want it to go in. We can choose how that change happens."

Sistrunk location that will become a butcher shop and bakery
Photo by Holly Williams Photography. Courtesty of New Stone Realty, LLC