Crazy Beans Hiring in Greenport, Late Summer Opening Planned

GREENPORT, NY - The brand-new Crazy Beans, a coffee shop and cafe in Greenport, is hiring.

Callie and Tim Martino plan to open the new eatery at the site of the former Coronet, at the corner of Front and Main, right in the heart of Greenport.

"Crazy Beans Greenport is hiring," Martino wrote on Facebook this week. "Experienced kitchen and waitstaff. Breakfast/lunch hours. We probably won't be opening until late August but willing to train sooner in our other locations. Please let me know if you know anyone that would be a great addition to the Crazy family," she said.

Anyone interested in interviewing for a position should email Crazybeansgreenport@gmail.com.

The couple just closed on the sale of the Coronet from former owners Perry and Melina Angelson and said they are thrilled to launch the new Crazy Beans on the North Fork.

"We're so excited," Callie said. "We weren't actively looking to open a third Crazy Beans" — other locations are thriving in Miller Place and Stony Brook — "but we just adore Greenport."

When she was growing up, Callie's dad kept his sailboat at Brewer Stirling Harbor Marina in Greenport, and the village was a special summer haven for her whole family. "My father passed away five years ago and ever since then, Greenport just has been my place to connect with him."

If she and her husband had a stressful day, they'd head east and spend a weekend at the Harborfront Inn, she said.

Callie said she always thought she'd end up in Greenport during her golden years. But now, she and Tim have moved to Stirling Harbor, right near the marina where she spent so many happy days with her father. "I feel like I'm living out my retirement dream at 28 years old," she said with a laugh.

A love story

Crazy Beans has been a labor of love for Callie, who opened her Miller Place location first. She met her husband Tim at the restaurant. "He came in for breakfast, and I found out he owned a restaurant, too, and was the same age as I was." Callie is 28 and Tim, 29. "I said, 'You must be as crazy as I am.' We had our first date and nine months later we opened up Crazy Beans in Stony Brook."

It was a match made in heaven for the couple; he grew up in Port Jefferson and she, in Stony Brook.
"We got engaged five months after our first date," Callie said.

And as if running two businesses and planning a wedding wasn't enough, Callie said, "We opened up another business, Brew Cheese in Stony Brook Village." The restaurant focuses on craft beer and cheese, she said.

Losing her father suddenly and so young made Callie realize how precious and fleeting life can be and motivated her to reach for the stars and open her businesses. After he died, she realized, "Life is too short. You have to do what you want."

Crazy Beans has been a journey of the heart, she said — and when the opportunity to open a new location in Greenport arose, it was destiny. "How could I say 'no' to my dream come true?"

A menu for everyone

The eclectic Crazy Beans menu, Callie said, has a little bit of everything, from healthy options, to pancakes and sweet French toast, to salads and a wide selection of flavored lattes and drip coffees such as Hawaiian coconut. "When I was asked about my business plan and my target market, I said, 'People that are awesome," she said, adding that her clientele includes little kids, families, college students, twentysomethings, seniors, and everyone "across the board."

The new Crazy Beans is expected to open by sometime in August and will be open year round for breakfast and lunch to start. Down the line, the couple hopes to acquire a liquor license to serve a traditional Sunday brunch with mimosas and Bloody Marys.

The best part of the new location is being a part of the fabric of the community Callie says she's loved for a lifetime. "It's just really the history and nostalgia. You're on the corner of Greenport, such a historic village. When you step in there you feel like you're going back in time."

Patch photo courtesy of Anchor and Lace Photo.