Have you ever made a life decision that was a huge risk, uprooting your family leaving life as you know it behind, to follow a dream? Carli Dunham did just that in 2020 moving to Denison, opening Café Blackbird.
Carli Dunham grew up in Quanah, Texas, west of Wichita Falls. She was raised in restaurants as her mom and aunt owned one and her father was a cook at an iconic local restaurant. It was fate for Carli to do the same. Enter Café Blackbird, a sandwich shop and bakery. Quanah did not have a restaurant serving homemade soups, sandwiches with fresh baked bread, and desserts made from scratch. That motivated Carli to provide the town with something new.
Several years later, Carli’s daughter started showing horses, requiring her family to travel to Denison “pretty regularly”. The horse trainer was in Denison so the Dunham family would always end up downtown. Carli immediately was drawn to the area. “Downtown Denison was thriving and growing, and it had something really special,” she says. She felt drawn to the town.
While shopping at a Denison boutique, Carli learned of downtown space renovated for a restaurant. She researched and realized Texoma was about to burst making it prime time to make a move. Carli quickly inquired about the property discovering it was already highly sought. Luckily, she had the opportunity to take the location, coincidentally at the height of the pandemic – not a great time to relocate.
However, that’s exactly what Carli did. Carli and her husband had never lived away from their parents prior to moving to Denison. To say that it was a big move would be an understatement, but four years later it is a decision she does not regret.
Café Blackbird opened in August 2020. Luckily for Carli, her artisan baker, Bailey, followed her to Denison. The café is known for their homemade soups, savory sandwiches made from scratch at the restaurant, and, of course, the decadent desserts like the giant walnut chocolate chip cookies.
“People ask me all the time where I get our desserts and cakes. I think it’s sad that nowadays most restaurants don’t make the food themselves by buying from food suppliers,” proclaims Carli. Having food made fresh in the restaurant is of great importance to her. “It is a jewel in my crown that we can do everything in house. It’s efficient and better. If you are going to have a sandwich shop in the days of chain sandwich stores, you need something that is better,” she states factually. The public agrees based on positive online reviews and loyal customers.
“We’ve done really well. I do not have access to tons of capital and investors. It has always been my family,” notes Carli. It was an adjustment going from small Quanah to a “bigger town” in Denison. “But we hit the ground running, and the town has supported us,” she continues.
Carli and family are so pleased with the success of Café Blackbird that they are opening another business downtown. Four & Twenty, A Bookshop by Café Blackbird is launching this fall. The store’s title coincides with Carli’s love of blackbirds in literature (ergo the restaurant name) using lyrics from the “Sing a Song of Sixpence” nursery rhyme.
The store will sell books, gifts, coffee and tea, and Café Blackbird desserts and pastries. Helping small businesses, Carli decorated the shop with furnishings from local Denison antique stores. Her hope is to host book clubs, craft classes, and other small events at Four & Twenty.
The Dunham family is very happy in Denison. Carli is pleased with the charm and history of downtown. “I love how people are invested in renovating the downtown. It’s good for the community and the area,” she says. Carli is quick to note while she chose Denison, sometimes she thinks Denison actually chose them. Moving the café and her immediate family from Quanah to Denison, plus leaving her parents and other family, was the most challenging risk she has ever taken. Nevertheless, Carli appreciates the people of Denison for “embracing us with open arms.” Four years and two businesses later, Café Blackbird and Four & Twenty are happy to call Denison home.
Cafe Blackbird, 309 W Main Street, Downtown Denison, 903.462.0093