18
BUSINESS
Week of November 18 – November 24, 2016
The Bread Basket Café Now Uptown Café Same Ownership, New Name
SARATOGA SPRINGS — According to Matthew Tallman, partner at The Bread Basket Bakery and The Uptown Café, you just can’t predict what customers will do when they walk into a store. If a business knew what their customers were going to do they would be an instant success. Having some superpower to predict customer behavior is every businessperson’s
dream. The restaurant formerly known as The Bread Basket Café could have used that power last month when it launched a new coffee shop on Weibel Avenue in the Springs Apartment complex. “Our customers at both locations were confused. They expected the shops to serve the same products. The Bread Basket Bakery is a full service bakery specializing in custom cakes, fresh breads, pies, and home made pastry. We are serving many of the bakery items at The Uptown Café, but the selection is limited. We really want to focus on the coffee
and the plated food, not the baked goods. Fresh fruit, salads, and omelets are a big part of our new business, ” said Tallman. The original name, The Bread Basket Café, has been removed and the restaurant is now Uptown Café. It can be found on the corner of Weibel Avenue and Bliven Avenue just two doors down from the Saratoga Springs hockey rink. Matthew also explains, “The Uptown Café is not owned by The Bread Basket Bakery. The Uptown Café is a customer of The Bread Basket Bakery. It’s wonderful
being able to leverage my bakery business on Spring Street. The products that we purchase from the bakery are the best available product you can find in Saratoga County.” Matthew’s partner, George Kotsakis, owns his own coffee distribution company called Gama Foods. Their relationship creates a synergy that makes Uptown Café the perfect destination for breakfast and lunch. Customers can appreciate The Uptown Café’s use of many local products, such as farm fresh eggs from Thomas’
Farm in Schuylerville, tea from Saratoga Tea and Honey, honey from Double A’s Bees Farm in Round Lake, and dairy products from Battenkill Valley Creamery in Salem, NY. The Uptown Café is a coffee shop specializing in fair trade organic coffee and tea serving light fare from local sources. Located at 3 Hamstead Place Suite 104b, Saratoga Springs, it is open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. in winter, and has plans to be open until 8 p.m. in summer. For more information, visit www.coffeebringspeopletogether.com.
Black Friday Saratoga SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Black Friday, November 25, over a dozen stores in downtown Saratoga are opening up at 6 a.m. and offering progressive savings of 50 percent from 6 to 7 a.m., 40 percent from 7 to 8 a.m., 30 percent from 8 to 9 a.m. and 20 percent throughout the rest of the day on “from everything” to “select items.” “Black Friday Participant” sandwich boards and balloons will differentiate the storefronts of participating Black Friday Saratoga businesses. The first shoppers who make a purchase in each business will receive a complimentary Black Friday Saratoga shopping bag (while supplies last), filled with information and special offers from area restaurants and sponsors, courtesy of Stewart’s Shops, the Saratoga Regional YMCA, Insurance Agency Group of NY LLC, and Network Saratoga.
New to Black Friday Saratoga this year is “Wrapping for Charity.” The Shelters of Saratoga will be stationed in the lobby of the Arcade Building at 376 Broadway from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Shoppers can drop off gifts to be wrapped while continuing to shop. Gift wrapping will be priced at $3 to $10 per package. All proceeds will go to Shelters of Saratoga. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/blackfridaysaratoga. A complete list of the businesses and their hourly offerings will be listed on http://blackfridaysaratoga. com/ on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Each business’s Small Business Saturday offer will also be listed. Black Friday Saratoga is organized by Network Saratoga, an event planning company that specializes in creative concepts for group promotions, small business development and nonprofit fundraising events in the Saratoga County region.