Southern Bostonian adds cafe to its menu

SELMA — Kristina and Alex Jefferys, the owners of antiques store The Southern Bostonian, are trying something new.

The two knew they wanted somewhere good to eat, Kristina said. “We were just talking about the need for just regular everyday food downtown so that we would be able to … get a quick bite to eat but have it be good with fresh ingredients,” she said.

The Jefferys decided to open that eating spot themselves inside The Southern Bostonian at 202 N. Raiford St. in downtown Selma.

“We want to offer that as an option to Selma,” Alex said, “and hopefully just boost Selma in the process. We’re really big on investing in Selma and the community.”

The antique shop opened in 2020 in downtown Smithfield, Kristina said. “I was strictly antique,” she said.

With a move to Selma, Kristina branched out, offering space to artists and other antique dealers. “If you want to survive, you have to stay relevant, and you have to change and pivot,” she said.

Adding a cafe to the mix took a minute. “But you know, you’re waiting on permitting, and your contractor and stuff like that,” Kristina said.

When it came to the cafe’s aesthetic, she wanted to use reclaimed items, Kristina said. “We tried to get as many locally sourced materials as possible,” she said. “So like our wallboard, it was targets from an axe-throwing place, and they just threw that wood out. So we went and grabbed that.”

Their creative ideas didn’t stop with the wall.

“We have a baby grand piano from Wilmington,” Kristina said. “The guy was just going to throw it out. So we went down there and hauled that very large, heavy item back in here. We took it all apart, and then I made a light fixture out of it.”

The cafe — called Hahvahd Yahd because Kristina is from Boston — is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

The menu offers sandwiches, including a French dip with Swiss cheese and au jus sauce, and flatbreads, including the buffalo chicken, or breaded chicken with red onion, tomatoes, American cheese and buffalo sauce. Also on the menu are salads and wraps. See it all on the cafe’s Facebook page.

With booths and tables, Hahvahd Yahd seats 34 people, and more space is on the way. “We’re starting this week an expansion of our kitchen and another whole dining room,” Kristina said. “I think the new dining room is probably going to hold close to 24, and then we have seating outside as well.”

The Jefferys have hired two part-time workers to take orders and run the cash register while they run the kitchen.

Alex said he and Kristina enjoy working in the kitchen. “For us to be in … the heart of serving the food for the community, that’s really big to me,” he said. “I have always been dedicated to serving the community. I was in law enforcement for eight years before this. So I think serving the community is a really big deal for me.”

Kristina has 20-plus years of experience in restaurants, and he didn’t have that experience, Alex said. “I had to sit here and learn, teach myself and fall all over myself,” he said. “I’ve learned through this whole process that you can serve your community in so many different ways. I think this fills my heart for serving the community even more than when I was in law enforcement.”

Hahvahd Yahd Cafe has been earning positive reviews, Alex said. “We have a lot of regulars,” he said. “I had a customer talk to me the other day; he said, ‘The difference between your restaurant and a lot of other places is that it’s an experience when you come here.’ ”

He and Kristina do their best to get to know their customers, Alex added. “We sit down and just talk with our customers,” he said. “We tell our story, and they tell us their story, and that is something I think is really special.”

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