New after-hours lounge arrives at Northampton's Cafe Balagan - Reminder Publications

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NORTHAMPTON – Cafe Balagan, the Main Street coffee shop located downtown, recently introduced a new after-hours concept to their business.

Open from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. from Thursday to Saturday, the cafe – which is mainly operated by Gil Sasson – will transform into an evening lounge, playing vibey music, pouring wine and beer, and serving “light bites” and charcuterie boards, in addition to its full daytime menu.

“We’ve always wanted to expand on the offerings and concept over [at Cafe Balagan],” said Rachael Workman, a co-owner of Cafe Balagan. “We thought there was a lack of places to go downtown that have a nightlife feel to it where you can listen to nice music and have a nice glass of wine … like a true lounge feeling that feels elevated where you can get a drink before you go to a show or dinner.”

In addition to the cafe on 241 Main St., Workman also co-owns a boutique adult cannabis dispensary called Balagan Cannabis on 235 Main St. with veteran cannabis retailer Adi Nagli, New York-based financer Itamar Alpert and Workman’s husband Raz Gal. The owners, the majority of whom are Israeli natives, wanted to pay homage to their roots with the name “Lyla,” which means “night” in Hebrew. When Balagan Cannabis officially opened in mid-October, Workman told Reminder Publishing that one of their future goals was to make Cafe Balagan the first site to host social cannabis consumption once it became legal in Massachusetts. Since then, however, Workman said the business pivoted from that mindset, and instead decided to pursue the lounge idea.

“The more we thought about it, we stared to realize by making that a social consumption site, we were basically turning [the cafe] into another dispensary, or at least it would have that feel to it,” said Workman. “It would no longer be a place where kids can come in and get a juice or a shake.”

Despite shying away from the social cannabis consumption idea, Workman said the owners still wanted to offer a different kind of space for after their usual business hours. “The cafe has been so embraced by the community downtown, that we have, over the months, shied away from that initial vision we had for it,” said Workman. “But we still want to build off what we’re doing there.”

The cafe’s main seating space now includes “plush” leather couches and “oversized” coffee tables to reflect the ambience the cafe wants to provide, and the lounge was officially introduced to the public over the Aug. 12 weekend.

“We did a soft opening, and it was really nice and people are enjoying it,” said Workman. “We’re thinking of expanding to other weeknights in the future, but we’re going to see how it goes first.”

The cafe partnered with New City Brewery, Provisions, and Small Oven on the menu, which includes a list of wine and beer, as well as various plates, platters and boards. “We’re only carrying beers for New City Brewery in Easthampton, which is my dad’s brewery,” said Workman. “From Provisions, we got all of our charcuterie and cheese … and Small Oven has been providing our pastries since day one, so they’re going to start sending over some cakes and tarts that are more conducive to a nighttime vibe.”

To learn more about the lounge, visiting its website, https://lylalounge.com/.

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New after-hours lounge arrives at Northampton's Cafe Balagan - Reminder Publications
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