Willimantic, Now and Then:
Christina and Brian Fenn are doing their best to bring a little “Café Culture” to Downtown Willimantic.
Last month the Windham couple opened Eastern Perk, a coffee shop and deli restaurant at 701 Main Street, right in the heart of Downtown Willimantic.
For Christina and Brian, it is a big change from running O’Brian’s Pub on Main Street in Colchester.
“Local is better for us,” Christina said recently, “We live in Windham. We want to start a family and the hours of a pub are not so family friendly. We wanted something more casual, more family friendly.”
For the rest of us, watching as one business closes and another opens in this once bustling, now struggling downtown, every opening is cause for hope.
Downtown Willimantic has not had a coffee shop for almost two years, since the closing of Rasminko Used Books and Espresso. Oh, there have been a few places to buy a cup of coffee, but there is something about a coffee shop, something that invites leisurely conversations, meetings with friends, hanging out just to see who might show up.
Maybe it’s just my circle. Many of us met at Rasminko, and have been pining for something to replace it. I know I have experienced a hole in my life, that has to do with more than coffee. Certainly, some folks miss the excellent espresso and cappuccino, the smell of the fresh roasted coffee, the comforting hiss of the steam on the side of “Big Red,” as we came to know the espresso machine that was the center of Rasminko.
‘Café Culture’ in Willimantic
For me it is something subtler. It is the chemistry of the place, and I don’t mean how the coffee and water mix. It has to do with feeling welcome whenever I come into a place, even if I’m not going to get a cup of coffee. It’s a feeling I get when I don’t need a reason to drop in, other than the comfort of familiar surroundings and people.
Rasminko was there when Sarah and I moved back to Willimantic after a decade in Manhattan. This little espresso shop seemed so familiar and comfortable after spending time in similar shops in the East Village. It earned a place in my heart from the get-go.
This circle I’m talking about is only a dozen or 15 people as it is most narrowly defined. But we have hung in there after Rasminko closed, with more or less regular potluck gatherings. We have come to know each other better, to love each other a little more, but it all started over a cup of coffee.
Sometimes I feel like we are characters in search of a play. My apologies to Luigi Pirandello for borrowing his image, but we have had to invent a context within which we can continue our dialogue. It was, this little family of ours, born of the “café culture.”
I have no expectation Eastern Perk will replace Rasminko. It would be an unfair burden to place on these two people who are just trying to get a business started in Willimantic. But I can’t always direct where my mind travels. When I walk in to Eastern Perk, it travels to Rasminko.
Brian and Christina and Eastern Perk have a place in my heart already. They have done a nice job fixing up the space. There is a new counter and couches, which encourage hanging out. They haven’t got the espresso machine yet. It is expected to arrive very soon (probably by the time you read this!), but in the meantime, there is good brewed coffee in a variety of flavors.
The coffee comes from Kevin’s Coffee Roasters, out of Vernon. Christina is proud to point out the coffee is roasted locally and has all natural ingredients in the flavored versions. The decaffeinated coffee is done with the Swiss Water process that uses no chemicals.
There is a free wireless Internet connection available in the shop. They are hoping to attract students from Eastern Connecticut State University and Quinebaug Valley Community College, just a few doors down Main Street. They offer a 10 percent discount to any student with an ID.
Running a business in Downtown Willimantic is a somewhat risky venture, but Christina thinks that will improve.
“Willimantic is under a microscope so much,” she said. “We want to help change the ideas people have about Willimantic, one business at a time. That’s our goal.”
In addition to the coffee, Eastern Perk has deli sandwiches, wraps, salads and pastries. The offerings may change as they go along. Christina is anxious to hear what people want, and promises to try new suggestions when they can.
“Just the other day, Brian’s brother suggested we have Kale instead of lettuce because it’s better for you and has more flavor,” she said. “Kale isn’t really part of my diet, but we’ll give it a try.”
Eastern perk has a television, which is unfortunate for a lot of us who would rather not have an electronic box talking at us all the time. I found it pretty easy to ignore the television, though I wish it were not on.
There is, or will soon be, seating in one of the large front windows. Now there is a bench to sit on, with a great view of Main Street, with the Footbridge right across the street. In the other big window, there is a children’s playroom with two comfortable chairs for adults.
“We really want people to feel comfortable in here,” Christina says. “You know, just slow it all down a little bit. I’m really looking forward to that.”
By Mark Svetz
Mark Svetz and Sarah Winter own Clothworks, a shop on Church Street in Downtown Willimantic, where they make and sell clothing and bags. They can now take coffee breaks at Eastern Perk!
WILLIMANTIC –November, 2007
