by Deb Alter
Bagel and Brew, a John Street staple for the last six years, has moved to Elm Street, across from the Armory. Owners Rick and Pam Cuddihy are happy in their new home. “We liked John Street, but this is really a better location,” Rick said. “There’s plenty of easy parking in our lot, so customers don’t have to search for a space or walk any distance.” It is especially good for older folks, they explained, since the parking is so easy and everything is handicapped accessible. Since moving the cafe to the new location, they have nearly doubled their clientele. In addition to the improved parking and bigger space, they feel that this part of downtown Hoosick Falls has a lot of potential for business growth.
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The new cafe offers full breakfast, pastries, sandwiches, and daily lunch specials, but now they have more room in the kitchen, the prep area, and the dining room. There are more tables in the new place, and they are not as close together. They both agreed that this is a much more comfortable space for everyone. The new cafe has a cozy, homey feel, a personality all its own. “Since we own this building, we were able to make it look the way we wanted it to,” explained Pam. “In the old place, the colors, the floors, the pegboard walls (which we don’t miss at all) were the landlord’s choice. Here, we were able to make the space to our taste.” The bright green and purple checked floor was Pam’s son’s idea, but the wall colors, interior and exterior decorations, the placement of tables, the sandwich prep area, and the larger kitchen, were all designed by Rick and Pam. They used some of the fixtures and furniture from John Street (the familiar, fun and funky chairs, Pam’s own creations, are in the new cafe, as are some of the display cases), but they also got some new equipment. Some of the kitchen appliances are new, mostly because the old ones didn’t fit through the door.
Rick did a lot of the physical work transforming the building, but everything that he didn’t do himself was done by local contractors. They explained that it was important to them to use local people, to support the community, “many of them are our regular customers.” The biggest challenge was the building itself, transforming it from its previous use into a cafe. “Older buildings always have surprises,” Rick said, “and this one had plenty.”
“During the move we got so much support from the community and our families. So many people helped out, carrying things from one place to the other and pitching in with other tasks. It was really wonderful,” Pam said. Although they are open, they are still tweaking things. “We are almost there,” Rick said, “it’s comfortable and it feels like we are home.”
Both Pam and Rick agree that the response to the new cafe has been overwhelmingly positive. From the welcoming feel of the space, to the easy parking and bright light streaming through the windows, to the same delicious menu, everyone, including the regular customers who followed them to the new place and the many new customers, agrees that the new space is great. “Boy, this came out nice! It’s beautiful!” exclaimed one customer who came through the doors for the first time since the opening. “We’ve gotten a good response from both our customers and our neighbors,” said Pam.
They had been renting the space on John Street, but they have owned the building on Elm for the past twelve years, operating it as Cuddihy’s Fluff and Fold, a laundromat. They decided it made sense for them to run one business, and to do it in the building they own. Running the Bagel and Brew Cafe was more satisfying than a laundromat, so they made the decision to replace the washers and dryers with a kitchen and dining room. In addition to having more control over the interior and exterior design, it will also make it easier to sell the business if they decide to retire, since it will be a package deal, building and business together.
The new Bagel and Brew Cafe is now located at 30 Elm Street in Hoosick Falls, and is fully handicapped accessible. They are open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 am to 2 pm (breakfast until 11 am). Call ahead for take-out or for more information: 518-686-4627.
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