The Susie in Susie’s Cafe was Elizabeth “Susie” Swearingen. The cafe was first located at 108 E. Front St. in downtown Bloomington under the name The Happy Inn Cafe. In 1980, the restaurant relocated to 602 N. Main St. (still in downtown Bloomington). Built to seat about 50 customers, the “new” Susie's Cafe was expanded in 1988 to bring the total number of seats to 97. The cafe closed in the summer of 1997 after Susie’s passing.
The collection includes menus, pictures, drawings and blueprints of building layouts, marketing materials, etc. related to the Susie’s Cafe business.