The beloved Texan pastry pop-up Republic Kolache is coming to the end of its short-term runs at American Ice Co. and Union Market, and will stop selling kolaches there on May 28 and 29, respectively.
The good news: their next pop-up starts June 3 at the Dacha‘s market in Shaw, and will feature more kolaches and eventually, late-night breakfast tacos, from 9:30 pm to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Plus, a brick-and-mortar shop is in the works, and co-owners Brian Stanford and Chris Svetlik are asking customers where they should open via an online survey.
“We wanted to throw some feelers out there,” says Svetlik. “When we have our own space, we’ll really get to rethink what the kolache concept is.”
Since it launched on Tuesday night, the survey has already gotten over 350 responses. What’s better, it asks: a unique space with room to breathe, or somewhere central? It also asks which specific neighborhood Republic Kolache should be in, how far you’d travel to get to the shop, which days you’d be likely to swing by, and more.
Svetlik says people have requested places like Shaw, Brookland, and Bloomingdale. “Bloomingdale is home for me,” Svetlik says. “We’ve come to form some good relationships with business owners there.”
The survey doesn’t ask about what the shop should look like, but Svetlik says it will definitely have some Texan flare without going overboard. In an ideal world, the spot would come with outdoor space and be open within the next year.
“We’re certainly ready to have a home,” he says.
In the meantime, look for a new collaboration between Republic Kolache and Texas barbecue joint Hill Country in the near future.
Greta started as an editorial fellow in January 2016 and joined as a full-time staff member that August. She now works as a web producer and writer. She was previously an intern at Slate and National Geographic and graduated from the University of Missouri’s Journalism School. She lives in Adams Morgan.
