Inspired by Bread
Inspired by Bread
Art’s Cafe in Springville Bonds Relationships Through Art, Music and Food
Photos Courtesy of Art’s Cafe Springville
There is so much to enjoy at Art's Cafe in Springville. Walk in and you'll see a beautiful coffee shop/bakery counter/art gallery and a small stage where music is often performed, plus there's an art room downstairs, a garden on the roof and a library area where language lessons are conducted.
The artwork currently on display is a Community Show that began in February and runs until April 8. From April 12-May 27, there will be an exhibit of landscape art by Jennifer Koury and Peggy Walker entitled, "Whose Woods These Are". The title was taken from the first four words of a poem by Carl Sandburg, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening", published one hundred years ago.
The coffee shop is a charming, gracious place to eat, socialize and listen to music. The menu begins with breakfast, available from 9:00am-4:00pm, which features various combinations of bacon, eggs, toast, butter, cream cheese and even whipped feta cheese, plus croissants and scones. Lunchtime begins at 11:00am and the selections include soups (different according to the day), grilled cheese, and Black Forest ham paninis, to name a few. (Be sure to check out the seasonal features on the Specials Board).
Let’s talk about the breads. Oh, the breads! The breads available at the Cafe include: Wednesdays-Sourdough, Toasted Sesame, Deli Rye, Soft Pretzels & Bagels; Thursdays-Country Sourdough, Sunflower-Flax, Baguettes, French Bread Rolls; Fridays-Sourdough, Deli Rye, Soft Pretzels, Three-Seed, and Morning Buns; and on Saturdays-Sourdough, Cranberry Walnut, Olive and Herb, Monkey Bread, Morning Buns, Almond Croissants, Soft Pretzels and Bagels. You can, of course, get tea and coffee and espresso, along with hot chocolate, Root Beer, actual beer and wine by the glass.
"Our mission is to build community through food and art. Our space has been designed to inspire and restore, and we work hard to create an environment in which people feel welcomed and appreciated. We want every customer's experience to be a positive one,” said Allison Duwe, worker/owner of Art's Cafe, who oversees the artisan bread and baking operations there. “Our partnership with Springville Center for the Arts makes us unique. That organization initiated the Cafe project and did all of the heavy lifting in the early stages of fundraising and construction. Although we are now a stand-alone business, we are one big family. The center programs our basement workshop space as well as our staged events.”
In 2011, when people first started thinking about creating a cafe/community center, they found that the old building in the space now occupied by the Cafe was such a wreck that the roof had collapsed into the basement! Happily, in January 2012, $30,000 was raised in thirty days, and their dream was on its way. In May 2015, thirty trained volunteers installed the green roof, and construction was completed in December of 2019.The project and the architect involved, Jay Braymiller, were honored with an AIA design award. Shortly before it was ready to open, the Covid pandemic put things "on hold”. It finally opened in the Fall of 2020. In 2021, the front seating was opened, and items were added to the menu.
”We have a number of upcoming events folks can check out on our website under our Calendar tab - from free music and art events to art workshops and ticketed concerts. There is something for everyone and every age,” Duwe said. "We do free art-making for kids on the stage one Saturday a month, host artist talks and a silent book club, and will also be bringing legendary blues and folk musician Guy Davis to our stage in April.”
The most anticipated event every year in Springville is the Downtown Art Crawl and Community Parade, when businesses on Main Street join together to become one big art gallery. On Saturday, June 3 from 4:30-11:00pm, there will not only be art to see, but live music to hear, demonstrations to participate in, and surprises galore! Art can be submitted for consideration through April 30.
On Friday, April 7 from 7:00-9:00pm, the musical event, "Arts Unvarnished" takes place. ($15 in advance; $20 at the door.) This event will showcase original local music, with each local act playing a short set and talking about its creation. The first performer, Kathryn Koch, is a singer and songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist and a vocalist. She'll perform a mixture of traditional, reimagined covers and original blues, folk and soul tunes. The second, the Yellow Jack folk band, will perform classic regional folk songs about interesting historical events and people, performed in a traditional style. The third act will be Captain Tom and the Hooligans, who will play both accordions and electric guitars. They perform original materials and put their special spin on traditional and contemporary songs. During the performances, Art's Cafe will be offering its full menu as well as wine and beer.
The Arts Cafe is open Wednesday through Friday from 9:00am-8:00pm and on Saturday from 9:00am-4:00pm. The Arts Cafe is located at 5 East Main Street, Springville, NY, phone 716-592-9036, ArtsCafeSpringville.com. Search them on Facebook and Instagram: @artscafespringville.