by Tania Prizio

Tucked away, blocks from Saratoga Springs’ main strip, is Caffé Lena, the oldest running coffeehouse in the nation.  However, this usually hopping joint is so serene at 3:00 in the afternoon one might not even notice the double wooden doors leading to a second floor legend.
The first step in and Bob Dylan instantly pops into mind.  Without knowing the full scope of Caffé Lena’s history the aura was already revealing the energy and spirit of music and community.  This is the same energy that coffeehouses that follow, whether they know it or not, have tried to recreate for decades.

In 1960 when Lena and Bill Spencer opened the coffeehouse many Saratogians “had never heard of espresso and they had heard of folk music but didn’t care much for it,” says Sarah Craig, current manager of Caffé Lena.  Lena’s shop helped “set the tone of the Saratoga you see now,” Craig adds.
Is it possible that half a century later this idea can work for other parts of upstate New York? 
There is a hand-full of dedicated entrepreneurs willing to try in Schenectady, Cohoes and Troy.  All of which are cities undergoing a cultural revival after post-industrial slumps.

“The restaurant is about food but cafes are about people,” says Richard Genest, owner of Moon and River Café in Schenectady.
Genest’s life work has been the coffeehouse; he has opened ten in nearly forty years including two in the Finger Lakes and four in Albany but this is his first time in Schenectady.   Genenst believes his café has created a non-alcoholic and all-ages nightlife for the area.  “It’s the music that really rocks this joint,” says Genest, “I’ve hosted every high-school band in a 20 mile radius,” he jests.

Besides for bringing the youth into the city, Genest also hosts a weekly television show on channel 16 in Schenectady.  ‘Schenectady Today’ is a variety show giving local artists, activists, poets and musicians a chance to showcase their work to the community. This is an extension of what he hopes to provide Schenectady through Moon and River.

Nick Porsia, owner of Troy’s Spill’n the Beans, had no idea that a coffeehouse could be that effective in urban redevelopment. Porsia, who had already been roasting his own beans for two years, thought it was time to open his own coffee house.  He settled on Troy after driving around the downtown early one Sunday morning and thought, “I can make this work.” 
Porsia soon saw the role that his café would play for the quaint downtown area he found that morning.

The place became “a central spot for communication,” says Porsia. The classy yet comfortable atmosphere of Spill’n the Beans attracted city council members and business people. In his shop Porsia witnessed a microcosm of a “community effect” that encourages the growth of city, simply by providing a meeting place. 
Salvatore Prizio, Chief Financial Officer turned entrepreneur, had a similar experience before opening Bread and Jam Coffeehouse of Cohoes.  His heart was originally set on the Saratoga Springs area, his mind was changed while visiting his wife and co-owner, Nicole Prizio’s hometown of Cohoes.  “I fell in love with Remsen Street,” says Prizio of Cohoes main strip.

Prizio left his Manhattan record industry job one year ago to get back to the roots of music – the music venue and live performance.  He moved to Cohoes in order to follow that dream and to open the only venue of its kind on Remsen Street. Now, the coffeehouse is hosting local and touring bands four days a week as well as Cohoes Business Council meetings.

“Ten years ago Remsen St was an empty parking lot,” says Mary Burgess-Bradt, 20-year Cohoes resident and teacher at Van Schaick Grade School, “and now it’s vibrant.” While Bread and Jam plays a small and very new role in this transition there is no doubt to Burgess-Bradt that it has been a positive one.
Schenectady has also felt the positive side effects of coffeehouse culture.  Marc Renson, owner of Ambition Café on Jay Street, has certainly brought his contribution to a new level by sponsoring Cyndi Lauper and Rosie O’Donnell at Proctors Theatre.  Aiding in bringing quality entertainment to the city.

Schenectady has been slowly reviving itself with a farmer’s market, new businesses and the most recent 2007 renovations to Proctors Theatre, which included an addition of a new coffee shop and box office.

Renson attributes his own contribution to the personalities of the coffeehouse, the sort of individuality that is lost to chain cafes.  For example, he does not require uniforms at Ambition Café, “If I have six people working for me I want six different personalities; not one square box,” he says, pointing out that his own uniform for the day includes a Cyndi Lauper t-shirt.  It is the character of the place that lures artist and musicians to his shop - he simply showcases them. He is not disillusioned by a romantic idea of a coffee shop’s role in society. In the simplest terms he mostly understands that coffee provides comfort.

“Even in a recession, it is not too much to buy a $1.50 coffee to make your self happy,” he says.
While it is easy to glorify a truly romantic image of the coffeehouse as an incubator for social change it is really the community’s attitude that changes an area. In their own ways, each cafe plays their small role in the city they are in, whether as a meeting spot, a music venue or a cheap cup-o-joe.  The truth is that it is an inspired community that brings light to their cities.  Perhaps the role of coffeehouses from legendary Caffé Lena to new-be Bread and Jam provide a minute drop of inspiration to wake up these cities and look towards their futures.