By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
NEWPORT, N.H. — A barn owned by Kathan Gardens was destroyed in a fire started by a stray ember from a brush fire on their property on Wednesday afternoon, and fortunately for the business it will not affect their operations as they are in full swing for spring.
Owner Jim Morgan said a small pole barn that caught fire contained about 750 bags of soil, which equates to about two months of work, but he said there wasn’t much else stored in the barn.
“This is an auxiliary building far away from all of our other stuff,” Morgan said. “It’s over in the back lot so there was no impact to anything but our soil. So, no effect on our business at all”
Throughout the winter, Kathan Gardens is open Thursday through Saturday, but this will be the last year of that schedule because the cafe is scheduled to open early next month. He said the cafe has been fully approved by the Newport boards, and once it is open, Kathan Gardens will be open year-round.
“The town has been great,” Morgan said. “The state owes us the food license. It is expected in two weeks and we’re waiting on an espresso machine from France. There’s just a lot of plumbing and electric issues that take time. It will certainly be open before Memorial Day weekend.”
Morgan noted that trying to convert a house built in 1952 is a bit of a challenge, so they are moving and navigating around this while also trying to plant 250,000 plants.
The cafe will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will feature coffees, cappuccinos, espresso drinks and light fare like paninis, cold sandwiches and salads. There will also be 16 flavors of Hershey ice cream where they will be serving frappes and sundaes.
“It’s like a coffee/ice cream cafe, and Newport needs a nice little place to have a casual quick lunch like this,” Morgan said. “We’ve got a lounge, and tables set up to sit and eat, or there is a living room where you can relax with a laptop.”
In the meantime, Morgan said the greenhouse lawn is full and urges customers to “come on down” to the business located on Elm Street.
“We are rocking right now and ready for Easter,” Morgan said. “We’ve got plenty of lilies, tulips and vegetables going. Everything you need for early spring.”
