By R.J. DeLuke
Saratoga Springs’s newest location to stop
for coffee views itself as something much more.
Spot Coffee opened just off Broadway in
February at 55 Railroad Place (at the intersection
with Division Street), occupying
about 1,650 feet of space on the ground-level
floor of the relatively new, six-story Market
Center apartment structure built by Bonacio
Construction–the same building that also
houses Price Chopper a few more feet north
on Railroad Place.
The Saratoga Springs location is the 10th store for the chain operation who board of directors has offices in Toronto, but runs shops mostly in the U.S., including five in Buffalo, said Simon Ouderkirk, operations manager for Spot Coffee in the Capital Region. The company is gearing up to build another Store in Glens Falls that will be open this summer, he said. Additionally, the management team is in negotiations for a site on River Street in Troy.
One of the hallmarks of Spot Coffee is positioning our cafes in lively communities,” said Ouderkirk. By that, he means areas that have a good mix of residential and commercial activity, as well as plenty of potential for walkin customers.
“That allows us to become part of the community,” he said. “It’s easier to create a community-center sort of feel” in a location like the Saratoga site, which he dubbed “a golden spot for us right now.”
Ouderkirk said the company likes to be active in the community and already has a collaboration set up with a local pilates studio. “We’re not just plugging in a cafe. We’re trying to become part of the community,” he said, noting he has purchased a house in Saratoga Springs.
The local store is smaller than most Spot Coffees, but the company is excited about the location and the response thus far in the busy downtown section of the city. In addition to coffee and espressos, there are fruit juices, an array of freshly baked goods, breakfast sandwiches and lighter fare. But there is also gourmet pizza, sandwiches, wraps and salads. “The amount of food we have is crazy,” Ouderkirk said.
Most everything is made in-house, including balsamic vinegrette, hummas, and all dressings. The baking is done in-house. Omelettes are made from scratch. Breakfast sandwiches are made on-the-spot for each customer,, not pre-cooked and sitting on a hot plate. They make their own pizza dough and cook it in a modern oven that”imitates a wood-fired stove, but is much safer to use,” said Ouderkirk.
“We’re trying to occupy a middle space between a cafe and a restaurant,” he said. “People seem to respond to it.” There are currently about 25 employees including the leadership team, he said. Chelsea Heilmann is the assistant store manager. The Glens Falls store will have a similar staff when it opens, but soon after will have some additional cooking staff because much of the baking and food preparation will move to Glens Falls — a store about twice the size of Saratoga’s with a larger kitchen. At that point, a lot of the food will be shipped from Glens Falls to Saratoga. When that store is in operation, Heilmann will become store manager in Saratoga, said Ouderkirk.
Building the Glens Falls store will start in May and Ouderkirk hopes it will open at the end of June. If not, mid-to-late July, in time for the racing season at Saratoga Race Course, is the target. The company is excited about the Glens Falls location.
House of the Saratoga store are Monday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday 6 a.m. to midnight; Saturday 7 a.m. to midnight and Sunday 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The store can be reached at 306-5323. The company website is www.spotcoffee.com.