Connie's Cafe reopening set

SANDPOINT — After months of dormancy, Connie’s Cafe will reopen under new ownership on May 11.

The iconic cafe and restaurant was purchased by local restaurateur Dave Libbey, who most recently operated the Beach House on Bridge Street.

Libbey and his team have been working overtime to bring Connie’s back to its glory days, giving the restaurant a complete renovation.

The new Connie’s will feature new carpet, new booths, a new bar and a completely updated kitchen, said Libbey.

One thing Libbey does not want to change is Connie’s classic environment, which has made the cafe a favorite of residents and tourists for decades.

“It just means so much to the community to have a good coffee shop in the downtown area, within walking distance of all the businesses,” Libbey said. “We’re excited about serving the community.”

Libbey said he has received positive feedback from longtime Connie’s customers, many of whom made a trip to the cafe part of their daily routine.

“It just seems like the whole community is excited about it, so we’re just feeding off of that energy. It’s like the community has taken ownership of this restaurant and I’m just going to run it for them.”

A core group of Beach House employees will follow Libbey to Connie’s, which he said will help make for a smooth opening. The May 11 opening might be smooth, but it will likely be extremely busy. The immensely popular Lost in the ‘50s celebration, which brings hordes of tourists to the downtown core every year, begins less than a week after Connie’s opens.

“The grand opening is that we’ll be opening three days before Lost in the ‘50s. That will be grand enough,” Libbey said. “Openings are always difficult, but, like I say, they can kill you, but they can’t eat you.”