New Berlin native Rich Anderson let an idea percolate before launching the Nook Coffeehouse in mid-January.
Anderson, 53, said inspiration grew from a letter and a layoff.
“I got a letter from the state shortly after being laid off from Frontier Communications, just over a year ago,” he said. “I got a letter saying, ‘if you’ve ever thought about starting a business, there’s a program called the Self-Employment Assistance Program,’ and that enabled me to work toward starting the business while on unemployment.
“I’d toyed with the idea for many years and never took a step toward it until then,” Anderson continued. “I had a long talk with my wife, and we decided it was a good idea to give it a shot. I’d toyed with the idea of a brew pub-type thing or growing our own beer, but there weren’t really any locations conducive to that and I hadn’t developed a recipe I wanted to follow through with, so I took a look at one of the few spaces available in New Berlin suitable to anything and developed ideas around that.”
The resulting Nook, Anderson said, offers regionally sourced coffee with varied fare.
“I’ve found that Utica Coffee Roasters has a number of different coffees that I love, so I talked to them and worked it out and we’re sourcing all our coffee from them, beans as well as for espresso drinks,” he said. “I found it really annoying to go into a coffee shop and not be able to find coffee — it’s all espresso-based drinks and like learning a new language — so I wanted to make sure that the first thing we have is coffee. We also have breakfast and lunch sandwiches and have developed a couple signatures of that, and burgers and fries and we’re looking to do an appetizer-type menu for evening events. We will be getting the beer, wine and cider license to do paint-‘n’-sip nights with entertainment. As soon as we’ve mastered this, we’ll be looking to add evening events.”
Anderson said Nook customers represent “a beautiful mix.”
“I’m finding it’s been people from surrounding towns and New Berlin for the most part, although a few people have spotted us on their way through town,” he said. “After school we’ve had a number of students coming in, especially on days when school activities are canceled because of weather, so we may have to extend our hours past 4 o’clock; right now, we’re open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and we’re working out what days we can afford to take off to regroup.
“We’ve had a lot of positive feedback and support,” Anderson continued. “People seem to be pretty surprised by the transformation in the space. I got cherry countertops that I finished myself and sourced from a local gentleman. Most recently it was a Chinese restaurant, but it’s been a lot of things over the years. The only thing left was stainless steel walls and the hood over the cooking lineup, so it’s been a full renovation, from floor to ceiling.”
Anderson said he hopes to build on early momentum to create a space that supports area makers.
“We’re looking to highlight as many local artists and artisans as we can — one a month — plus we have space reserved for one Unadilla Valley student from elementary, middle and high school to display some artwork,” he said. “And we’re looking to get local authors to come and do something with their books and do signings. We have a few shelves full of used books at the moment, and one reserved for local history and local interest books; those are not really for sale, but available to go over while you’re here, and we’ve got to bring more of them in.”
For more information, find “The Nook coffeehouse” on Facebook or call 607-488-4083. The Nook, at 24 South Main St. in New Berlin, is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday, and Wednesday through Saturday.
Source link
credite