The article below was written for and about the Higher Grounds Caffè, and submitted for use on the website.
Like a lot of people, Dick Smith looks forward to his first cup of coffee in the morning. And like a lot of people, Dick gets his morning coffee fix at work, and good for Dick, his morning cup of Joe comes from a caffè, but he doesn't work at a caffè. Dick is a maintenance worker at the Saratoga Springs Public Library. With dozens of other faithfuls, Dick is a regular at Higher Grounds Caffè, the in-house caffè at the library. Higher Grounds marked a milestone this month, three years of business. The unique caffè has succeeded on a formula of homemade food, friendly customer service and maintaining a space where food, reading and quiet talk all intersect.
Cafes and restaurants are a staple of downtown Saratoga Springs. But when the library was built ten years ago, placing a caffè alongside books and magazines was considered a bit avant-garde. Retiring library director Harry Dutcher said the library trustees were committed to establishing a place where library patrons could relax, enjoy lunch and not have to leave the library. Other vendors have leased the space, and left. Higher Grounds owner Kimberlie Till seems to have found the right combination.
"We keep it simple but contemporary," explained Till who drew on her family background in establishing the business. Her mother is Beverly Reedy who established the popular Beverly's Restaurant, and now markets her homemade barbeque sauce and other products in specialty food stores throughout the northeast.
Till has drawn interest from other libraries exploring the idea of establishing cafes. She has consulted with nearby libraries who are planning in-house cafes.
"It's not like running a regular business," she said. "In other spaces, owners can pretty much do what they want. Here, we work in partnership with the library." For example, Till is careful not to serve grilled menu items like hamburgers or French fries. The smell would be too much inside the library. Duthcer echoed Till's comments.
"The caffè is important to us as we receive many compliments from our patrons. We use the Caffè from time to time for special events, so we see the space as providing added-value to the library's mission."
It's more than library patrons that have contributed to Higher Grounds three year anniversary. Hours of help and support from friends and family have helped Till, a working mom of three, make it all work.
"I've a great staff and even though we all work hard, I think it's like a little family here."
As for Dick Smith, he's just happy he doesn't have to go downtown for his morning coffee and bagel. "It's the best caffè in town," he said. "We're all lucky it's here."