There are cafés, and then there is Harper & Madison.

It has an urban touch in its unique offerings and simple decor. But, at the same time, the downtown bakery and lunch spot feels like a small-town café where everybody knows your name.

Chef Shane Weigel knows many customers by name or by their favorite order. There’s the dad who brings in his toddler every morning for pastries and coffee. And the little boy who arrives almost daily with his mom for a buttery croissant. McKinley Elementary kids often stop by the café for a treat to eat on their way home. So Weigel named a sandwich after them.

If Weigel doesn’t know someone’s name, owner Joanie Swords probably does. The café, located at 3115 10th Ave. N., just hit its 10-month anniversary and the joke is they never had time for a grand opening.

“We have been busy since Day One,” Weigel said.

And busy for Weigel and Swords means 12- to 14-hour days, filled with dreaming up new offerings and fine tuning the current offerings. Swords and Weigel met when they worked together at the now-defunct Sidney’s restaurant at Rimrock Mall. He was the chef and Swords was a server.

Now, 20 years later, they are collaborating on their dream job.