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A welcome gathering
spot
Douglas Hurteau opened the Manhan Cafe at 72
Union St. in June. He has hung local photograhps on the
walls and said he hopes to continue showcasing other local art
there. For a story about the new cafe and its
owner. see pages 4 and 5. |
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GORDON DANIELS |
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GORDON DANIELS |
| Manhan Cafe owner
Doughlas Hurteau, right, chats with regular customer Cindy Bow
of Easthampton recently at his new cafe on Union Street in
Easthampton. |
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| Owner finds
Easthampton is perfect spot for
new coffee shop |
By SHOSHANA WALTER
Easthampton
-- Douglas Hurteau, 53, owner of Manhan Café
on 72 Union St., chose the space for his new business very
carefully.
He considered locations in both
Florence and Northampton before settling on this
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Easthampton address, formerly the site of a florist
and a service station, with ample parking.
The interior of the building now
bears almost no reminders of its previous occupants, with new |
furnishings, multicolored wall, a book
swap, and a bathroom that Hurteau mad
handicapped-accessable.
There is even a guitar, Hurteau's own,
which sits in the corner of the |
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GORDON DANIELS |
| Thomas Pezda, of Chicopee, said he enjoys
reading the paper at Manhan Cafe. |
room waiting for musically
inclined patrons to pick up and play on a whim.
The
café,
which opened June 1, catering to early morning customers with a 5
a.m. opening time, but Hurteau said he wanted the café
to also be a casual place for locals to gather.
"Coffee shops used to be a part of the community," he said. As
a youth, he said, he would often go into coffee sops in downtown
Northampton with friends and play round after round of
backgammon.
He said he hopes Easthampton and the
surrounding community will embrace the cafe in the same way.
To ensure that, |
Hurteau said he makes sure to know the
customers he sserves by name, and allows local groups to host
gatherings at the café.
In the tradition of his youth, he also started Yesday night cribbage
games.
"Easthampton is growing into its own
character," siad Jason Deni, a full-time employee and boyfriend of
the co-owner, Hurteau's daughter Jessica, 29. "There is a
younger generation of people moving in and a new culture growing
here."
One such mover is Eric Heinzman, 25, who
visited the café
on Friday morning while apartment hunting with a friend. He is
moving to Easthampton |
from Newburyport, and visited the café
for what he said was a good first taste of Easthampton
life.
"The coffee tastes good, and I like the
music," he said, engaged in conversation with friend Brian Messier,
25, of Amherst.
A longtime Easthampton resident has
quickly become a morning regular at the café.
"I love it," said Megan Bachand, 20. No other place like it
exists in Easthampton, she said. Her favorite is the iced
cappuccino. She usually orders it to go.
The
café
serves "to go" customers like Bachand and also those who want to sit
and stay a while. It offers free wireless Internet, 60-cent
refills and ample parking, as well as indoor and outdoor
seating.
When the kitchen is added, Deni said, the
café
will add sandwiches to the menu. In the meantime, the café
offers pastries, bagels, muffins and croissants from a variety of
Massachusetts businesses, including Hadley's Donut Man. It
also sells cold treats like Odwalla smoothies and Bart's ice
cream.
But the main focus is on the coffee, said
Deni.
After considering about six other coffee
roasters, Deni said, the proprietors chose Java Roasters of
Greenfield. Their roasting process removes the skin from even
the crevices of the bean, ensuring a full roast without a bitter
aftertaste.
Both Deni and Hurteau are also
supporters of fair trade.
"We could have chosen any
coffee in the world, but organic and fair trade was
important," said Hurteau. "It's work it because in a lot
of the coffee industry people are hired for pennies, but our coffee
workers are paid a fair wag with benefits."
The
café
offers four types of basic coffee -- decaf, dark roast, light roast
and flavored, plus a large variety of other caffeinated
beverages.
Hurteau is a fan both of the coffee and
the change of pace his new job has provided from his previous
executive post.
It's the first time he's owned a
business, and the job allows him to sit down each morning like a
customer.
"I run around a lot in the morning, but
then I have time to socialize with friends," said
Hurteau. |
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GORDON DANIELS |
| Patrons Sue Davidson and Raymah
Hutchinson, both Easthampton residents, sit in front of the Manhan
Cafe on Union
Street.
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