In Housatonic, an 'extra-special' cafe plans for a fall opening - Berkshire Eagle

takanadalagi.blogspot.com

GREAT BARRINGTON — Villagers in Housatonic: Prepare for teatime.

A nonprofit that provides a niche into mainstream adult life for people with special needs soon will carve its own niche in the heart of Housatonic. Work began Wednesday inside the commercial space that once housed the Housie Market, a social and commercial hub that shut down in 2018. 

The location, at Front and Pleasant streets, will be a hub once again, said Cherri Sanes, executive director of ExtraSpecialTeas, which she co-founded in Great Barrington in 2016 with her husband, Scott.

Like at its downtown Great Barrington location, in Housatonic ExtraSpecialTeas will run a cafe open to the public Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They hope to add weekend hours. The menu will include signature teas and handmade, gluten-free brownies, scones, biscotti, power bars and other treats.

The Housatonic location will have indoor seating for about 20, a commercial kitchen, shelving for retail products, a tea-blending workshop and a pack-and-ship area for the organization’s expanding online business. Plans also call for outdoor seating.

ExtraSpecialTeas, also known as EST, hopes to open its doors in Housatonic this fall. Its cafe in the colorful Victorian building at 2 Elm St. in downtown Great Barrington will remain open. The Housatonic location, 1,700 square feet of street-level space, marks a necessary expansion for a growing organization, Sanes said.

“I'm thrilled EST is coming to Housatonic,” said Pat Hollenbeck, who bought the Housie Market at a foreclosure auction in July 2018 for $126,000 to prevent it from potentially becoming a pot shop. “Cherri and her EST entourage will bring vitality and stability back to this corner, which is precisely what we need after the prolonged limbo that we have endured.

“You can count on Cherri to transform this space into something very special that could prove to be a building block towards a better future for the village,” said Hollenbeck, a musician who is chairman of Great Barrington Libraries board of trustees. “It is important to note that EST will be bringing new jobs to Housatonic for a segment of the population that has few opportunities. This is simply a win-win situation.”

In Great Barrington, ExtraSpecialTeas currently employs 20 people with special needs, paying them at least minimum wage. Those who don't assist in the cafe participate in a day program focused on social and vocational skills. The participants are referred to ExtraSpecialTeas by the state Department of Developmental Services, which has an office in Pittsfield.

The new space in Housatonic will enable ExtraSpecialTeas to serve an additional 10 to 20 people with special needs, including autism and Down syndrome, Sanes says.

Support our journalism. Subscribe today. →

“Housatonic will be more convenient to Pittsfield, for instance,” she said, noting that the Housatonic location is on the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority bus line. The organization also has its own van used for transporting its employees.

Cherri and Scott Sanes first were inspired to start the nonprofit when their son, Jache, who has autism, turned 22. In Massachusetts, young people with disabilities and mental health disorders can receive state schooling and services until age 22, but after that, these young adults and families are on their own.

She and Scott had been raising Jache, now 29, in Cherri’s native Texas when they got involved with a home-based autism program offered by the Option Institute in Sheffield. When they visited the Berkshires, they fell in love with the area and decided to relocate here in 1999, when Jache was 7.

Jache attended Mount Everett Regional High School, participating in its life skills program, until he was 22.

They had a hunch that Great Barrington was progressive enough to embrace an idea they had. Lovers of tea — its taste, health benefits and the communal experience associated with it — they wanted to open a teahouse.

“I dreamed of a place where my son and others with learning differences could learn, create and grow, plus be a vital part of their community," Cherri Sanes said.

ExtraSpecialTeas opened its doors on World Autism Awareness Day, April 2, 2016.

“Great Barrington has proven to be very welcoming, and we couldn’t be happier," she said.

On Wednesday, workers had begun the removal of the large refrigerator unit once used by the Housie Market. With the assistance of Diego Gutierrez of Housatonic Architecture, the cafe will have new partition walls, a teahouse workspace and new bathrooms that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“The lease is long term and renewable, hopefully, forever,” Hollenbeck said. “Did I mention their brownies are really damn good?”

Adblock test (Why?)

"cafe" - Google News
August 15, 2021 at 05:00AM
https://ift.tt/3xMI3sJ

In Housatonic, an 'extra-special' cafe plans for a fall opening - Berkshire Eagle
"cafe" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2FkbMR3
https://ift.tt/3c4yPxW