Bond and Bevel — Restaurant in Caldwell

Here's some advance notice: The Downtown Caldwell Winter Wonderland ice skating and a million lights starts up 1 million nightlights daily from dusk to dawn November 22 through January 13. This is an ideal time to drop by Bond & Bevel for an evening warmer up coffee, hot chocolate or specialty drink and pastries. However I enjoy the quality of their latte's and scones year round. The coffee and tea menus and pricing are really quite reasonable and your money is helping a local business instead of a National chain. Last time, I ordered a foamy latte and a Rose Hill Bakery dark chocolate scone to go. I often come back for a Flat Coffee. Perfect match for a chilly day. Check out their poster on the wall to help identify what to order with a nice set of visual graphics. Bond & Bevel is about the unlikely combination of a hand-crafted leather goods, earth toned apparel, outdoor gear “mercantile” and a very comfortable space to visit that also has quality coffee, espresso drinks, tea with scones, muffins and bagels. It is housed in a brick building, once Commercial Bank, also known as the Caldwell Bank and Trust Building. Briefly, the Espresso beans are Margin Coffee, a coffee roaster in Albany Oregon where the owners moved from. Bond & Bevel is a family business as Heath and Krista Albers sought out a place where they could work together. I think the coffee is still sourced from Alchemist, the milk comes from Reed’s Dairy, the syrups from Center syrups of Central Oregon. The scones are sourced from a three-minute walk nearby, Rose Hill Bakery. The bagels are from Sarah’s Bagels, and other bread and pastry items from Gaston’s Bakery. A favorite tea brewed and flavored Chai is called a London Fog. By design, their strategy was to pair up a typically less frequented business (with high-end clothing, leather bags, wallets, aprons, ornate knives and axes) with something that could bring in potential customers daily. From the thick heavy China cups that hold in the heat to black double walled cups you can buy to keep beverages hot; to the black to go cups, the 5# bags of coffee, to adding extra filters on the water coming into the building and on the machine before it becomes a brew… it is well thought out and executed. Plus, a beautiful third space to hang out at. The walls are black, a 1940 M-72 motorcycle greets you as you enter, and the woodwork, communal long table, and the smell of tanned leather all spell quality. Co-owner Heath is from Orofino and spent the last fifteen years building high end residential properties in Oregon. He remodeled the bank space from a very tired building to the stunning design now. Visiting Idaho on a trip one November, they explored several Boise area cities to put down permanent roots, and the last stop was Caldwell during the holidays. They fell in love with the ice-skating rink, the lights and everyone walking around both sides of Indian Creek. They saw the vision of a revitalized urban area with its ties to local agriculture and a way of life that seemed more relaxed and genuine. Caldwell is turning out to be a nice combination of restored old buildings, paired with the construction of new business. Bond & Bevel is open M-F from 7am to 5 pm, Saturday 8 am to 5 pm, and closed Sundays Previously the hours get extended for the holiday lights. Go there today or make a special trip from Boise,...

I've heard good things about the people behind this place, but my experience trying to do business with them has been so strange that I am compelled to post something here.

The first time I attempted to do business with them, I wanted to buy a gift card for someone to pick up in-store. I assumed (yes; my fault) that I'd be able to call the establishment to set such a thing up. Nope. I looked high and low and couldn't find a phone number for this place anywhere!

I found an email address and sent an email, but no one ever replied. Strike two!

Then yesterday, I attempted to meet some friends there at 2, and showed up at 1:45. Although the hours on the window and everywhere else I looked said that they'd be open until 3, the lights were down and the doors were locked!

Stranger yet; there were a couple gals working in there, but side-eyeing me and pretending they didn't see me (although I was wearing a VERY visible orange and black plaid flannel shirt)! No sign up explaining the lapse in service or apologizing for the inconvenience, no attempt to communicate with me as I stood there perplexed at the situation. Just locked doors...

Love Bond and Bevel.

We first stopped in to see Santa! That alone was an amazing experience, he was SO perfect and patient. He was able to get adults involved in photos too! (We will come back any time he is here.) We also met the owners and a few of the employees that day, they are all amazing people.

We have since returned a few different times now. Grabbing drinks and heading out to the plaza. Popping in to see if an items call to us. We recently had a chance to talk with Heath and ask about his leather work. We ended up walking out less than an hour later with two leather belts customed to fit my husband's belt buckles.

If you're in the area take the time and check out this business, sit and have a drink, talk with the people.

As told by the owner Krista, "our coffee...