Down the rabbit hole

KINGSTON — Schuyler Avenue will soon serve as Kingston’s own rabbit hole — following it will lead you to a fantastical place with lattes, pastries, paninis and more.

The Looking Glass Cafe, situated in the corner of AlleyCrafts, a handmade gift shop located at 239 Schuyler Ave., is owned by Dez Sabecky. Pending licensing, she’s hoping for a December opening date, but in the meantime, a soft opening will be held for Small Business Saturday on Friday, Nov. 26, and Saturday, Nov. 27.

The food industry runs in the 21-year-old Sabecky’s family, which helped motivate her to take on the challenge of owning her own cafe.

“My mom used to own a diner when I was 16. When that closed, I wanted to open something more homey,” she said.

Everything came together when Sabecky saw a Facebook post from AlleyCrafts owner Shylo Egenski, who had been looking to open up a cafe in the space previously occupied by Vanderlyn’s Restaurant. Egenski was the one who came up with the “Alice in Wonderland” theme.

“I was thinking of a theme that worked with beverages,” Egenski explained, citing the famous tea party from the children’s story by Lewis Carroll.

The cafe can be described as “instagrammable” — complete with an artificial wisteria tree whose flowers hang from the ceiling interspersed with string lights, hanging clouds and mushrooms, and even “Alice” — a pair of stockings stuffed with cotton and dressed in black shoes — to simulate her descent into Wonderland.

All of the photo-worthy decor was done by Sabecky and her girlfriend, Meghan Ballou, who will serve as the cafe’s barista.

“The desserts area all handmade. We have a cookie maker doing iced cookies with designs on it, so I’m sure people will like that too. They’re photogenic,” Sabecky added.

Sabecky’s mom, Dina Sabecky, will be helping Sabecky with the food at the cafe. Since the space doesn’t have a kitchen, Dina is pursuing a cottage license for her home kitchen in Edwardsville.

“I’m gonna do the cooking. I’m in the food industry 35 years, so I know the packing, the labeling, the transporting, Servsafe, all that,” Dina Sabecky said.

Those food offerings will include pressed paninis, salads, soups and mac and cheese.

In addition, The Looking Glass Cafe will have all of the standard coffee and espresso offerings patrons would expect — hot coffee, iced coffee, lattes and cappuccinos, to name a few.

For the Small Business Saturday soft opening on Friday and Saturday, the cafe will have coffee and pastries available.

The soft opening will be in conjunction with a Small Business Saturday event at AlleyCrafts.

”People definitely like to come out and support for Small Business Saturday. That’s when I opened the store, without any real advertisement, and it was a huge turnout,” Egenski said. “Kingston just has so many small business. I was wanting to make a small business trail, maybe next year.”

“We want to support one another,” Dina Sabecky added.

Dez Sabecky is hoping that she’s able to draw a crowd.

“I hope that people come to it, and that they like it. That they appreciate the hard work … I’m just hoping that it’s something people feel comfortable coming to and have somewhere to go,” she said.

Sabecky, who is also a tattoo artist, is no stranger to owning a business. Despite her age, she already co-owns Ninth Veil Tattoo on Pierce Street in Kingston, and runs a tattoo-inspired clothing business called Take Care Tattoo Apparel.

“I feel like I was never good working for somebody else. I never would fit in or understand how to do things for them. It’s a lot easier to just do things for myself,” she explained.

“I’m such a fan of hers. I’m so proud of her, I really am,” her mom said.

For updates on an opening date, The Looking Glass Cafe is on Facebook and on instagram @cafe_thelookingglass.