First Light Book Shop, All Day Pizza, and Bureau de Poste at Tiny Grocer are unarguably some of the most hopping places in Austin. There is almost never a spot in the crowded parking lot outside Tiny Grocer, the sound of chatter always fills the air outside of First Light Books, and the line at All Day Pizza frequently stretches to the street. But before the corner of 43rd and Speedway was filled with students spending the day out, it was home to what local restaurant owner Steph Steele called “the most beloved post office” in Austin. How did a thriving post office become one of the trendiest spots in Austin? What is it like to spend a day there?
To answer this question, I spent an evening at the old post office and interviewed students and business owners to see their connection to the area.
BUREAU DE POSTE: Before Tiny Grocer, First Light Books, and All Day Pizza drew crowds of trendy young students, the space at the corner of 43rd and Speedway was a local post office. However, this was no ordinary post office, according to Steph Steele, who opened Tiny Grocer after the post office shut down.
“Everybody loved that post office,” Steele said. “I’ve never heard anyone talk about a post office the way they [the neighborhood] talked about it.”
When the post office closed in 2021, many Hyde Park residents were frustrated. Although the post office shut its doors over four years ago, McCallum junior Nels Pruner still finds himself missing the post office from time to time.
“I miss it being a post office just because it was so convenient for us,” Pruner said.
Aside from the convenience of the post office, Steele noticed that many people in the neighborhood saw it as a center of the community. When she decided to open the second location of Tiny Grocer, she knew that she wanted to find a way to pay homage to the post office and keep the community it created alive. To do so, she decided to add a French restaurant to Tiny Grocer so people could share a meal and named it Bureau de Poste, which means post office in French.
“It was a little wink-wink to the neighborhood to acknowledge that this was a beloved post office,” Steele said. “It was important to me to honor the post office with Bureau de Poste.”
POULET A LA POST OFFICE: Bureau de Poste’s poulet, French for chicken, features half of a roasted chicken au jus on top of roasted fingerling potatoes and artisanal sourdough. The dish was part of Steele’s goal to bring luxury but approachable French cuisine to Hyde Park.
“I wanted the food to be elevated,” Steele said.
To make her idea a reality, Steele decided to team up with chef Pierce Haver. Steele appreciates Haver’s help in designing the menu.
“He is an excellent chef and continues to blow my mind with things that he comes up with,” Steele said. “You know that he loves what he does and he’s just so inspiring to me.”
Although Steele likes the luxury environment of Bureau de Poste, she is working to make it more approachable and affordable for the community.
“I didn’t think I meant to make an expensive experience,” Steele said. “The food is excellent and worth every penny, but what we’re doing right now is trying to figure out how to basically lower prices, which I don’t think anyone is doing right now.”
DELICIOUSNESS: As part of Steele’s mission to make Bureau de Poste more affordable for the community, she is expanding the hours of the deli inside of Tiny Grocer. The deli features a counter with pre-prepared options such as empanadas, chicken-salad croissants and quiche, as well as made-to-order sandwiches.
“We really heard from people that they would like to pick up a sandwich at night or on the weekends,” Steele said. “We want to make this more affordable for our neighborhood and give them options so that if you don’t want to spend $50 on a steak frites, you could have a pastrami sandwich.”
It was also important for Steele to offer options for vegetarians, vegans, and people with dietary restrictions at the grocery store and the deli. Having previously worked at Whole Foods for 24 years, Steele saw the positive effect that dietary alternatives had on her customers.
“Something that came from Whole Foods for me is making sure that you’ve got things to support all of those diets–gluten intolerant, vegetarian, vegan or dairy-free that you’ve got things that support all of those diets,” Steele said.
JAMMING OUT: Along with providing alternatives for people with different dietary restrictions, Steele made sure to stock small businesses, such as Tait Farms’ jam (pictured above). It was especially important for her to do so because after working in the grocery industry for nearly 30 years, Steele noticed the increasing difficulty small businesses had selling their products in larger grocery stores.
“If you are somebody in Austin who’s making a product, you know you might get your start at Tiny Grocer and have a place to prove your concept,” she said.
One of her favorite brands of jam she keeps in the store is Confituras, which is locally made in Austin by Stephanie McKinley, an award-winning jam maker. Steele feels like the quality and locality of the products she stocks justifies their price.
“If supporting local is more important to you, that’s probably going to be more expensive,” Steele said. “It’s a different product. This is a different quality product that you’re getting at Tiny Grocer.”
While junior Sophie Lopez doesn’t shop at Tiny Grocer, she loves going to Tiny Grocer to look through their stock of specialty items.
“You can buy luxury items that just add a bit of sparkle and whimsy to life, like delicious fancy tea and really exquisite, beautiful dark chocolates, all sorts of interesting ice creams and the cutest little jam jars,” Lopez said. “They offer products there that you will not find anywhere else.”
FRANKENPIE: Sandwiched between Tiny Grocer and First Light Books is All Day Pizza, which offers New York-style pizza. One feature of their menu is their “Frankenpie” (pictured above), which allows customers to choose up to six different slices of pizza. Pruner enjoys going to All Day to sample their unique slices.
“They’ve got all these crazy slices of pizza,” Pruner said.
All Day recently went viral for its distinctive slices. With options such as pickle, cacio e pepe, and vodka pasta-inspired pizza, Pruner feels that the quirkiness of All Day’s house slices match Austin’s food scene.
“I think it definitely adds to the weird vibe that Austin has had in the past,” Pruner said. “I think it’s more of what we should see in Austin.”
While Pruner likes All Day, he worries that its success–and that of other new businesses in the area–has harmed older businesses.
“It’s definitely sad to see some of the longer-standing businesses go,” Pruner said. “For example, the Parlor was an old bar and a pizza place where you could go and see live music, but it closed.”
LINING UP FOR PIZZA: As All Day’s popularity has increased, so has the line to get into the restaurant. Even on a Thursday night, the line stretches all the way to the curb (seen above). However, senior Nadia Tissembaum, who discovered All Day after her tennis coach recommended it to her, thinks the pizza is worth the wait.
“Your order might take a little longer, but it’s worth it in the end,” Tissembaum said. “I think All Day is amazing and deserves every person in that line.”
As a vegan, Tissembaum struggles to find vegan pizza and especially loves All Day because of their vegan pizza “Tomato Tomatoe”. Although Tomato Tomatoe is just a crust covered in marinara sauce, Tissembaum likes the pizza due to the quality of All Day’s ingredients.
“I really enjoy it because they have a very good option for me there, which is a marinara pizza,” Tissembaum said. “It’s super delicious and makes me feel very included there.”
Tissembaum is glad that All Day decided to create a high-quality marinara pizza instead of using vegan cheese, as some vegan pizza places have done.
“Fake cheese tastes very artificial,” Tissembaum said. “So when it’s just marinara, it’s very natural, fresh, and refreshing.”
Tissembaum feels like All Day’s approach to vegan pizza suits the ambience of the restaurant.
“It matches very well because it’s classy but modern, like pizza,” Tissembaum said.
BEVERAGES AND BOOKS: After loading up on pizza at All Day, customers might feel inclined to head over to First Light Book Shop to grab a cup of coffee or tea and relax with a new book. Lopez, who loves browsing the stacks at First Light, feels like having a cup of tea is conducive to finding new books.
“I really love their Earl Grey tea,” Lopez said. “I love to have my Earl Grey in one hand and a book in the other. It really just makes for the perfect day out.”
First Light offers an annual membership to neighborhood residents that includes 20 percent off all purchases and free drip coffee 365 days a year, allowing the community to take full advantage of First Light’s cafe. While Pruner doesn’t have a membership, he is able to easily order a coffee there because he lives nearby.
“I can go get a coffee,” Pruner said. “It’s such a convenient place.”
DOSTOEVSKY IN AUSTIN: Hidden within the stacks of First Light’s fiction section lie a selection of Russian realist author Fyodor Dostoevsky’s works. Lopez found her favorite book, Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky, at First Light.
“Crime and Punishment has become my favorite novel because of its truly interesting assortment of characters and the way Dostoevsky blurs the lines between what is good and what is evil,” Lopez said.
Finding her favorite book at First Light made the bookstore all the more special to Lopez.
“Since Crime and Punishment is my favorite book that I’ve ever read and I found my dream translation of it at First Light, every time I go back there I’m always reminded of my passion for the book and excited to find new books just as good,” Lopez said.
LIGHTING UP FIRST LIGHT: First Light is known around the Hyde Park area for its architecture. Even in the evening, hanging globe pendant lights cast a warm glow around the space and reflect off of the wooden shelves to create a light, airy feel and foster a natural atmosphere.
“I think why First Light is so special is partly because of its gorgeous architecture,” Lopez said. “I think they make it really inviting for customers to sit in. They have little reading nooks and crannies where you can cozy up in little benches, and by the coffee area, there are tables and bars, so you can have a book and sit with a friend.”
One of Lopez’s favorite parts of First Light’s architecture is the natural elements they include in the store.
“They incorporate a lot of nature, greenery, and wooden elements to kind of make the space feel more inviting,” Lopez said. “It just allows for the community to interact more and for you to actually get to talk to people, which I just really love.”
Besides building community, Lopez feels like the store’s design, as well as its well-curated selection, enables her to discover good books there.
“I’m always able to go there and find a good book,” Lopez said. “It really makes me love it all the more, because I know that every single time I go there, I’m going to find something that I love.”
CREATING COMMUNITY: Besides having a well-curated selection of books in a beautifully lit environment, customers are able to interact with each other outside of the store. First Light offers Thursday night trivia competitions (pictured above) in its outdoor space. However, Pruner appreciates the space on an everyday basis.
“Sometimes I just need to get out of my house to get started on work,” Pruner said. “It’s such a convenient spot for me to go, chill, and study.”
Lopez feels that the outdoor space at First Light has also created a nice community.
“Everyone goes there with their friends and they gather,” Lopez said. “I love how close-knit the community feels. You can kind of just talk to anybody and it really makes it a very positive circle.”
Pruner has also experienced the positive effect that First Light and the surrounding stores have on the neighborhood.
“I do think there’s been an increase of people in the neighborhood and I think that it has boosted morale,” Pruner said. “[People are] talking, being outside, and actually being attentive and paying attention to each other.”
Although Lopez doesn’t live in the neighborhood, as a customer, she understands why the remodel of the post office has led to such an increase in foot traffic.
“I think having such special, unique, beautifully curated, little stores all right next to each other makes it such an interesting place that you won’t find anywhere else,” Lopez said. “You really feel like you’re surrounding yourself with everything beautiful.”