The Treats Truck Stop To Open This Summer (Fingers Crossed!)

After spending more than eight months waiting patiently for work permits, Kim Ima is finally hard at work building her dream bakery on lower Court Street.

Ideally by late summer, the popular Treats Truck will be calling the storefront at 521 Court St. home.

The Treats Truck Stop will be a "one-stop shop," said Ima. The space will incorporate a production kitchen, a bakery cafe, a back-room seating area and eventually a backyard. The kitchen will be in the middle of the long space, Ima said, with a glass wall dividing it from the back seating area.

"So people can watch us sheeting dough and frosting cookies," she said.

The Treats Truck Stop will feature all the same treats already available on the truck, including oatmeal cookies with jam and brownies, but will also feature a small and rotating food menu. Soup and sandwiches, said Ima, who will do the menu planning herself.

But why the (increasingly popular) move from a truck to a store? Ima said opening a store was always a part of her longterm plan.

"I wanted a kitchen that would be a home base," she said. "This will be a little shop on the corner type of thing."

Ima chose lower Court Street because she loves the neighborhood feel.

"I looked [for a space] for a long time. I wanted a neighborhood where i'd fit, where i'd feel like I was a part of it," she said.

Oh, and expect The Treats Truck Stop to be kid-friendly.

"I wanted a place where families would come," she said, adding that when the backyard opens, which won't likely be until next season, she would like to host birthday parties.

Ima has a book coming out in September called The Treats Truck Baking Book. Pretty good timing, huh?

Until the summer comes, you can check out Ima's treats by visiting her truck. Follow @TheTreatsTruck on Twitter or visit the website for locations.