Acton's Spruce Street Cafe Closes

It is with sadness that I bid farewell to Sharon Pecoraro, owner of the Spruce Street Café, due to her decision to close and re-locate back to Virginia. I know firsthand that Sharon loved the community and truly enjoyed the company of those who stopped in to eat her homemade donuts, cakes and cookies. She was also a determined and passionate advocate for the improvement of West Acton Village and understood that there needed to be synergy between the town and businesses to make her business – and others in West Acton – successful.

Having now seen three independent woman business owners at that location, I would like to offer these thoughts:

1) Owning an independent café is financially difficult in an area that does not have tremendous population density and/or traffic. There is good reason why Starbucks chooses to locate their shops in high volume areas and takes the smallest footprint possible. That reason is one has to sell a lot of cups of coffee and pastry to pay for overhead and staff.

2) An independent café or food business is almost a 24/7 commitment. Sharon would arrive at 4AM many days to begin baking. When she tried to expand her hours, she found she could not consistently work an 18 hour day and opted to focus on her core business hours of morning through afternoon. Even so, there is a lot of work that a café owner must attend to once the doors are closed!

3) Independent business owners like Sharon have no backup. Unlike chain cafes that have staff and management that can be swapped from one location to another, when an independent business owner cannot work – for health or personal reasons – there is no one who can take their place. While it would seem that someone could be hired to fill this role there is a limited workforce in Acton for jobs like this.

4) West Acton Village is not a destination for the majority of Acton residents. I say this factually, supported by the observations of other business owners. The village lacks central parking and any cohesive area for residents to learn about the options within it (such as a kiosk with a map and business listings). The lack of parking at Spruce Street Café was a limitation because potential customers would just drive away. Sometimes the parking had been taken by employees of local businesses because they did not have any or enough lot space. There is a “chicken and egg” problem here, with West Acton Village business owners and developers attempting to create vibrant village without any financial support or attention from the town. A small café will struggle to succeed solely on its own advertising and marketing, particularly in a side street location where signage on the main thoroughfare is prohibited.

While it may seem unusual that a nearby restaurant owner would lament the loss of the Spruce Street Cafe, I do. My feeling is that West Acton Village needs a critical mass of food choices, retailers, service providers and community organizations to thrive. I would welcome another café/bakery and another unique independent restaurant to draw a critical mass of diners who feel like they have many options. When I visit other New England towns with walking districts, I often do not have a specific café or restaurant in mind but choose one based on my mood or their offerings. I love being drawn in by their flavors or the sound of music drifting through their doors!

In closing, I hope someone new will pick up where Sharon left off. May Sharon now enjoy her grandson, husband, family and horses.