Credit: Murphy Birdsall
On a Saturday morning, under a grey sky with a forecast of heavy snow to come, the doors to the Storybook Café, at 2987 Church Street, opened, and people bustled in. Coffee, breakfast, a look at a new gathering spot in the center of town—all this drew folks to the grand opening weekend, Jan. 6-8, 2024.
The coffee shop’s opening had been eagerly anticipated—the space on Church Street, next to Peck’s Market and across the street from Demeter Home, had been well-loved as the Mountain Cow, the Platter and then Rosey’s. On this morning, downtown Pine Plains was lively with foot traffic.
Caitlyn and Nolan Amelio walked to the café on the very first morning because, they said, “We were excited to have a nice breakfast place in town! And we wanted to support them.” They had often walked over for breakfast or lunch in its previous incarnations, and missed having that destination. In the light-filled restaurant, the two sat at a table with their children, Isla, 2, and Fia, 6 months, as friends and neighbors stopped by to chat.
The idea for the Storybook Café began in a different form. The owner, Kenzie Killmer, had dreamed of a bookstore where you could get coffee and pastries—she imagined books and baked goods. “My lovely wife pointed out that I wasn’t going to make enough money,” she said, referring to the sage advice from Jessica Killmer. Jessica suggested, according to Kenzie, that “there had to be someplace in town to go for pancakes.”
There is now a place to go for pancakes and eggs, a place to meet friends for coffee, a place to run in and grab food to take with you. And, there are shelves of books.
Kenzie Killmer is no stranger to the restaurant business: Her family, the Mirtos, opened Lia’s Mountain View. Lia’s closed its doors on Dec. 30, after three generations of the family, including Killmer, had served the community for 40 years.
Credit: Murphy Birdsall
The difference in the new venture is, among other things, one of hours. Lia’s was a dinner restaurant; Storybook Café’s mission is breakfast. So, getting to work at 5 a.m. requires a learning curve for a woman used to beginning work at 5 in the afternoon.
Storybook Café will serve a full breakfast, plus pastries and assorted baked goods, starting at 6:30 a.m. Though the kitchen will continue to operate only until 2 p.m., the plan is to ease into keeping the café open until 4 or 5, for coffee and baked goods. As soon as a front-of-house cooler arrives, Killmer intends to prepare sandwiches and other foods that can be picked up to go.
What about the books?
“There will be signs shortly,” said Killmer, to explain the book policy. “It’s on my to-do list.”
The lightly used books are for sale at $8 per paperback, $10 for a hard cover. “Kids will get a free book every time they’re here,” added Killmer, if they chose to pick one out. Starting in February, a local charity will be designated every month to receive 25% of the book sales. The books are culled from personal collections, library sales and other sources.
It was a busy first weekend. Jessica Killmer confirmed that a steady stream of people kept them moving, and the family and friends who stepped in to help were sorely needed.
On Sunday, several inches of snow had fallen overnight with more to come, and the Storybook Café continued to serve up eggs, pancakes, coffee, tea and all that you might want for breakfast. Olive, the dog, and her two humans, had walked down to the center of town from their home near the high school, with the occasional roll in a snowbank for Olive.
Storybook Café is there for all to settle in, and it appears the townspeople need no urging.
Storybook Café is openâ¯Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Monday from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and closed Tuesday. (518) 771-3102.