Former Ascutney café opens on Main Street in Claremont

By GLYNIS HART
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CLAREMONT — When the Red Barn Café in Ascutney closed, the owners — Josh and Beverly Savage, a son/mother team — were moved by how sad people were. 

The little café had accolades from Trip Advisor, which called it “a hidden gem” and gave it a 4.5 rating. Customer reviews called the family-run eatery friendly and welcoming, and dubbed the food “excellent.” 

But even more than the food, it was the atmosphere people liked. The café felt like a gathering place where people could relax and chat with friends, or even crack open the laptop and get some work done without feeling pressured to move on. 

“Our customers have really been calling on us to reopen,” said Josh Savage. On Wednesday he stood smiling behind the counter of the new Barn Café on Main Street in Claremont. Outside, a sign proclaimed the Grand Opening. 

“We had such a loyal following, I promised if I were faced with the opportunity to re-open, I would do it,” said Savage. “For me, it’s about serving the community.” 

Savage left a well-paying job in the information technology industry to reopen this family business and is now working with his wife, Chelsea, sister Joanna, mother Beverly (now) Stroebel, mother-in-law Wendy Smith and sister-in-law Olivia Savage. 

“When the Stone Arch Bakery in Claremont closed, it left a hole in the community,” said Savage. “I saw it on craigslist, believe it or not, and contacted the owner.” 

The building had been a bakery for a long time, so a few renovations were in order. They had a soft opening last week, then the grand opening Sept. 11 with a 10-percent discount for first responders and military personnel. That discount is ongoing, Josh wrote on their Facebook page: “It will be an ongoing long-term discount as our way of saying thank you to those who go out in harm’s way to keep us all safe.”

With the ongoing construction on Main Street, some business owners might worry about the customer base, but Savage sees the future: when the construction work is done, there will be diagonal parking in front of the café as well as a sidewalk to lead pedestrians to their door. The Makerspace is across the street, and the Eagle Times promises to provide a steady stream of workers needing coffee and breakfast sandwiches. The café is also offering the sandwiches that helped make it so popular in Ascutney, with homemade bread, fresh salads and soups. 

“We knew it was a good spot,” said Wendy Smith. “Claremont is up and coming. There’s nothing like being part of the revitalization!”