BY TIMOTHY LAROCHE
[email protected]
After Stone Arch Bakery closed in October due to financial struggles, the building’s new owner, Joshua Savage, plans to open The Barn Cafe in its place. — TIMOTHY LAROCHE
CLAREMONT — Nearly six months after Stone Arch Bakery closed the glass doors of its Main Street location one last time, an owner has found new life for the space.
Over the next few months, work to renovate the cafe building will advance following interest from Weathersfield, Vt. native Joshua Savage. If work goes according to plan, Savage’s latest project, The Barn Café is slated to open June 5.
“We are working against the clock right now,” Savage said. “My wife and family are over there doing work while I am working full-time now.”
For many people in the area, the Savage family name might conjure fond memories of stopping by The Red Barn Café in Ascutney, Vt. for such delicacies as The Vermonter — a cinnamon raison bread sandwich with sweet bacon, apples, cheddar cheese, a fried egg– or any of 20 other specialty sandwiches boasted on the menu.
For just longer than a year, Savage grew a loyal customer-base at The Red Barn Café until it folded in August 2015 for financial reasons. In the weeks leading up to the café’s closing, the business’s Facebook page saw hundreds of reactions and heartbroken commenters. As Savage noted, the former café didn’t take too long to become a staple of the community.
“It’s crazy how busy we were at The Red Barn,” Savage said. “We’re doing just about everything we did there with a few tweaks. It’s going to be awesome.”
The new café will offer a similar menu to Savage’s previous project, returning many of the same sandwiches. But Savage plans to expand the son-to-be Claremont café’s offering to include burgers and even the potential for craft beers. Waffles and pancakes will be available on weekends to start, with the potential for expanding the daily breakfast menu into the week if the demand picks up.
Savage also said he plans to return his previous project’s ever-popular muffins and offer several coffee options and other baked goods. The café will open for breakfast and lunch throughout the week.
“We’ve had people from around the country who had eaten there tell us that our muffins were the best they ever had,” Savage said.
Other items, like some of the less successful sandwich offerings from the former-Ascutney cafe will be stricken from the menu, leaving only proven sellers and crowd favorites.
Savage signed a lease for the building last week, beginning work almost immediately. The tentative June 5 opening date is contingent upon roof replacements. After the roof is fixed, Savage said he plans to repaint the exterior red.
Follow Timothy LaRoche on Facebook at Eagle Times – Timothy LaRoche, or on Twitter at @TimothyLaRoche.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.