AMHERST — At the Coronation Café, it’s not just the coffee that brings in the people — it’s the chance to make new friends and maybe play a tune on the piano.
That instrument was purchased from an Amherst resident through Craigslist and has been popular with the customers, according to co-owner Doreen Kurtz.
“He was excited that it was going to stand out,” she said of the owner.
The piano has been a particular favorite of 95-year-old Betty Barrett, who played a few songs for the customers last Friday. She’s been playing since the age of 8 and knows several military-themed songs, since her husband served. She’s been going to the café at 103 N. Pleasant St. since it opened over the summer.
“It’s all so good,” she said. “I haven’t had anything I didn’t like.”
Prior to being the town’s newest coffee shop, the location was home to Bart’s Ice Cream for 38 years. The shop closed in the early days of the pandemic and was briefly replaced by smoothie store, which also closed. Co-owner Joe Kurtz said the ice-cream shaped door handle remains, a gesture of respect to honor the staple of Amherst’s downtown. He added that people still sometimes come in looking for ice cream, but stick around to see what the café has to offer.
“It’s like, should I keep it (the door handle) or should I get rid of it? Yeah, I’ll keep it because there’s a lot of old-timers,” Joe Kurtz said. “Now the students are, you know, changing over every couple of years. But the old-timers think it’s kind of neat.”
Doreen Kurtz has some experience in running an establishment, having helped start Bread Basket in Russell, which is still open today under different management. Joe Kurtz credited his longtime friend Brian Martin — who runs Sowers Harvest Café at State College, Pennsylvania — with being instrumental in developing the concept for Coronation Café. The menu is very similar to Sowers and Martin sent one of his managers to help when Coronation opened at the end of June.
“This is a pretty important part of who we are,” said Joe of Martin’s contribution.
The menu at Coronation has several incarnations of coffee — both hot and cold — but it doesn’t stop there. There are different smoothies, omelets, paninis, salads and specialty burgers. The soft pretzels and chipotle chicken bacon ranch are some of the more popular choices, the owners say.
The café has a staff of six, people that the Kurtzs know and members of the Anabaptist faith to which they belong. Anabaptism arose during the Reformation-era and teaches adult baptism as opposed to infant baptism, with the name meaning “rebaptism.” Joe Kurtz said working there doesn’t require that one be a member of their faith.
On the café’s website, it reads that “At Coronation Café we imagine a society where Jesus is King and there is room at the table for all. We are convinced that by sharing a welcoming space, serving nourishing entrees, and encouraging meaningful conversation we can contribute to a more flourishing humanity.”
Joe Kurtz said they are both followers of Jesus and owners of a for-profit business, so they’re not trying to use the café as a type of ministry. Rather, they want to have a welcoming space where one can build relationships, which he said can be important for the students at UMass Amherst who may not have connections in the community. He added that a coffee shop is a sort of modern-day well, where people would gather and converse.
“You want to have a peace ... like a peace-filled space where all are welcome, because I like to encourage meaningful conversation,” said Joe.
The business’ early days were difficult, said Joe, but they’ve enjoyed meeting people, some of whom become regulars. Joe has lived in western Massachusetts for two decades and the couple live in Granby. They were also part of the town’s Block Party on Sept. 15. Joe said that was a great experience and moving forward, he wants to find new ways to meet people, such as a culture night where customers can talk about where they come from. With UMass so close, he also spoke of creating a study time for students in the evening.
“I would love to have this place filled out with people from many different countries and hear about those things that are important to that particular person, where they’re from,” he said. “Just cultivate bridges of communication and understanding that way.”