If you see a miniature San Francisco-style trolley being pulled around the streets of Long Beach, it’s likely filled with chili or chowder and heading to The Merchant bakery and café in Bixby Knolls.
The life of the S.S. Minnow – named after the “Gilligan’s Island” boat — all started with a scroll through Facebook Marketplace.
The Merchant co-owners Andrea and Mike Gillespie were looking for a way to expand their offerings without opening a second location, Andrea said. They had been hosting evening events on their patio with beer and wine but were also looking for a way to add food.
“My biggest thing: it has to have a presentation,” Andrea said.
The couple discovered the trolley for sale and brought it home last April. A few months later, extensive restoration work began.
After sanding the panels, brushing on eight coats of varnish and countless hours of vinyl application, the S.S. Minnow was ready to go.
The trolley first joined The Merchant as a coffee cart last fall, but Mike soon had the idea to serve chili, Andrea said.
The menu quickly expanded with bread bowls, baked potatoes and chowder.
At their midweek evening events like trivia and wine nights, the food has been a hit.
More menu items are on the horizon, Andrea said, including salads and other seasonal items as the weather warms.
Andrea, a baker who graduated from the International Culinary Center in New York, said she’s excited at the chance for her fresh-baked bread to be featured on sandwiches.
She operated as a pop-up in Long Beach serving pastries and other baked goods before starting The Merchant in 2017. Then, Mike and Andrea found the location in Bixby Knolls, formerly an antique shop, while walking their dogs.
Both had past careers as merchant mariners — civilians working on commercial vessels — which led to the café’s name: The Merchant.
When they opened, they did all the baking and coffee roasting in the 600-square-foot storefront. Now, they bake and roast out of a commercial space near Orizaba Park and also wholesale their pastries to Good Time coffee shop on Coronado Avenue.
Each night, leftover pastries are donated to the Long Beach Rescue Mission, Andrea said.
Small business ownership has suited the Gillespie’s well over the past eight years — much as it did their respective grandparents.
Mike’s grandfather used to own a print shop in Downey, while Andrea’s grandparents owned a liquor store/meat market in Los Angeles’ Lincoln Heights neighborhood.
“Maybe it was in our blood to do this at some point,” Andrea said.
The Merchant, 4121 Long Beach Blvd., is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Friday through Monday. The S.S. Minnow serves food at the café in the evening on Tuesday through Thursday. You can find an updated arrival schedule here.