The historian Brian Cowan describes English coffeehouses as “places where people gathered to drink coffee, learn the news of the day, and perhaps to meet with other local residents and discuss matters of mutual concern.” In their American incarnation they are also considered the birthplace of free speech – providing the incentive for the First Amendment.
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Great Barrington – In three weeks – if all goes well — Robin and Will Curletti, owners of the popular Fuel Coffee Shop, currently nestled between Robin Helfand’s Candy Store and Baba Louie’s Pizza will be taking both a literal and figurative leap — directly across Main Street — into a smartly reconfigured space at 293 Main St. in the Tom’s Toys Building that had most recently been the Gypsy Joynt.
Their goal remains firm: “To keep all of our loyal customers happy with our product,” asserts Will. Their concept for expansion, driven by the creation of carefully thought-out spaces conducive to sitting down and connecting, brings to fruition the couple’s desire to cultivate an experience of “staying put” as they look to launch the next phase of the booming coffee business they have successfully run for the last 11 years.
It was not only business brewing behind the unmistakable arched yellow window on the town’s iconic Main Street for this Housatonic couple. The former Barrington Roasters is where the couple first met, in 1995, when a grinning but otherwise quiet Will began frequenting his favorite barista, Robin, for quadruple mocha lattes to start his day. They bought the business in 2005 and did a full renovation in 2009 in order to accommodate their growing grab-and-go offerings. As to the current location, we’ve “exhausted all of our possibilities as creative people” says Robin, who cites space limitations and the resulting limited menu as big reasons to expand. Says Tom Levin, of his new tenants, “Fuel has been in business where they are for [more than] ten years and they were looking to expand; it seemed like a great opportunity for them and for the building to have a solid tenant with exciting ideas.”
“We’re still us, we’re just moving!” Robin exclaims, as we tour the virtual configurations in the new space. A collaborative effort among loyal friends — among them carpenter Jed Tuchscherer and designer Adam Medina — is intermittently interrupted by the din of a jigsaw. The current entryway will be streamlined, offering a beautiful view onto Main Street, looking up Railroad Street, and encompassing the canopy of green trees that rises beyond. A pair of L-shaped built-in benches will grace the front windows and wrap around into a lounge area defined by a half-wall. The front of the house will be dedicated to coffee service; Will opened up an entire wall of exposed brick, behind what will be both the coffee bar and the liquor bar, and discovered a perfect arch “right where the espresso machine is going” gushes Robin. “It’s kind of like the [new] space speaking back to us,” she says, noting that the architectural accents in their current space boast both interior and exterior arches. Of the design and renovation phase, “everything has fallen into place” commented Robin. Customers will have a choice of several spaces, from enjoying an espresso at the nearly 16 foot long locally sourced white marble bar to spreading out with the day’s newspapers at a centrally located community table. “We are grateful to our customers who have launched us and created the Fuel community; we are but the facilitators [of this next phase]” proffers Robin.
The new space boasts a full kitchen, which will allow for the addition of chef Alex Brink who comes to Fuel from the White Hart Inn in Lakeville, Conn. “One of our philosophies has always been to source as much [local product] as we can from our customers, from our community, and the people around us,” notes Will who, unwilling to sever their relationship with Mocha Joe’s Coffee of Brattleboro, Vermont, proudly serves Barrington Roasters espresso and No. Six Depot coffee in addition to the Vermont mainstay. “Trying Six Depot was a no brainer, and it turns out that it’s amazing coffee,” says Will, adding that their partnership with Barrington Roasters began even before they owned Fuel. The Curlettis will continue to serve Papa Dogs, all-beef, no nitrate hot dogs with a natural casing made from beef raised by Robin’s father in Ancramdale, N.Y. Fuel proudly serves doughnuts from Home Sweet Home, also in Great Barrington, and their expanded menu will allow them to forge relationships with Equinox Farms in Sheffield as well as other farmers in the area. And, in a nod to serendipity, the back of the new space abuts the Great Barrington farmers’ market.
The relocation of Fuel continues what has been a veritable reshuffling of downtown businesses this summer. The Curlettis, who had just signed a long lease with Richard Stanley at their current location, are excited and “very supportive” of Angel and Toni Bergins Espinoza, of Xicohtencatl Mexican restaurant, who are going to be opening a Moroccan and Mediterranean restaurant in Fuel’s current location at 286 Main Street. The Curlettis, who have been released from their lease at this space, wanted very much to be a part of bringing something affordable to the locals — a value they hold close to their own business model. As customers might have suspected from the signs in their window, the Curlettis had to facilitate finding a new tenant. When the opportunity for expansion came up, “Richard Stanley worked with us, and we found a suitable replacement business to go in there…and it really worked out pretty well” says Will.
“The coffee shop is our bread and butter and always has been,” says Will, acknowledging that a bigger space will afford them more opportunities and the ability to “add other wrinkles” to the business. That said, the Curlettis are being mindful that any little element can shift the balance of a business. They have their sights set on a mid-August opening, but there are some things they are not in control of time wise. The Curlettis understand the community’s excitement about the return of live music to this venue, and they are planning to deliver; their application for a liquor license has been submitted, and they imagine rolling out their full bar and music simultaneously. As to unsolicited advice as to businesses that move and ultimately fail? From where they sit, Robin and Will are confident. “Fuel has been delivering now for over 11 years….we’ve been in the junior varsity for over a decade, and we’re just now stepping up to the next level. We have a lot of understanding of how this business runs, what needs to happen [in order to be successful], and how to manage people,” says Will. In this venture, it would appear there is much to gain and little to lose save for the view from the single arched window on the opposite side of the street.
“The main goal is to move our cafe across the street and keep all of our loyal customers happy with our product,” reiterates Will.
