Published on GazetteNET (http://www.gazettenet.com)
Cafe owners cite promise to be 'kept whole'
By Daily Hampshire Gazette
Created 12/01/2009 - 10:00
To the editor:
We strongly disagree with the Nov. 25 editorial "Cafe's fight isn't city's." The city of Northampton and the mayor should most certainly be involved in a solution to help keep the Green Street Cafe alive.
We think it is apparent that Smith College President Carol Christ has enlisted the help of Mayor Clare Higgins in forcing us into financial ruin through tactics to remove us from the neighborhood to make way for the new Ford Hall.
Their activities over the past few years have led to a deterioration of our business to the point that a court battle over our lease is not one that we want or are able to afford. They have violated the terms of our lease and current zoning laws, removed our parking and are winning the battle to choke our business to death.
However, over 3,000 citizens signed our petition asking for the city's intervention with Smith and the City Council also has voted to help seek a solution. Before the construction of Ford Hall began, we were told we would be "kept whole."
Instead, Smith has succeeded in ruining our business, which has served the Northampton community for more than 20 yeas.
We are appealing to the city once again and to Smith College to make good on their promise.
John Sielski
Jim Dozmati
Green Street Cafe owners
Northampton
Daily Hampshire Gazette © 2008 All rights reserved
Source URL: http://www.gazettenet.com/2009/12/01/cafe-owners-cite-promise-be-kept-whole
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Daily Hampshire Gazette - Letter to the Editor by Michael Bardsley
Published on GazetteNET (http://www.gazettenet.com)
Mayor has clear role in play in Green Street Cafe survival
By Daily Hampshire Gazette
Created 12/01/2009 - 10:00
To the editor:
The Gazette editorial of Nov. 25 made an argument that would have been compelling in most instances involving local government and conflicts between private entities.
However, one significant fact was overlooked by the Gazette editorial staff. On Aug. 17, 2005, Mayor Higgins and Smith College President Christ signed a legally binding development agreement that addressed several issues regarding the area bordered by Green Street, Belmont Avenue and West Street. Item three of this agreement directly relates to the current situation involving the Green Street Cafe. It reads as follows:
3: Commercial Tenants - The COLLEGE will negotiate payment of relocation or transition assistance, on a case-by-case basis, with commercial tenants in the Area affected by termination or non-renewal of leases. If a commercial tenant requests participation by the CITY in the negotiations, the COLLEGE will include the CITY in the negotiations.
The owners of the Green Street Cafe have asked the city, via a petition as well as the City Council's public comment session, to become involved in its current negotiations with Smith College. The new business item passed at the last council meeting simply asks the mayor and the economic development director to act in the spirit as well as the letter of that legal agreement. The council's action could help the city avoid another costly lawsuit.
The argument that the mayor, "should not be asked to set aside pressing city business and wade into a commercial dispute ..." may be solid reasoning as to why such an agreement should not have been crafted in the first place. However, since the mayor took the initiative to enter into this contract (which was never approved by the City Council) with Smith, the city, I believe, has the responsibility to fulfill its obligations.
Michael Bardsley
At-Large city councilor
Northampton
Daily Hampshire Gazette © 2008 All rights reserved
Source URL: http://www.gazettenet.com/2009/12/01/mayor-has-clear-role-play-green-street-cafe-survival
Mayor has clear role in play in Green Street Cafe survival
By Daily Hampshire Gazette
Created 12/01/2009 - 10:00
To the editor:
The Gazette editorial of Nov. 25 made an argument that would have been compelling in most instances involving local government and conflicts between private entities.
However, one significant fact was overlooked by the Gazette editorial staff. On Aug. 17, 2005, Mayor Higgins and Smith College President Christ signed a legally binding development agreement that addressed several issues regarding the area bordered by Green Street, Belmont Avenue and West Street. Item three of this agreement directly relates to the current situation involving the Green Street Cafe. It reads as follows:
3: Commercial Tenants - The COLLEGE will negotiate payment of relocation or transition assistance, on a case-by-case basis, with commercial tenants in the Area affected by termination or non-renewal of leases. If a commercial tenant requests participation by the CITY in the negotiations, the COLLEGE will include the CITY in the negotiations.
The owners of the Green Street Cafe have asked the city, via a petition as well as the City Council's public comment session, to become involved in its current negotiations with Smith College. The new business item passed at the last council meeting simply asks the mayor and the economic development director to act in the spirit as well as the letter of that legal agreement. The council's action could help the city avoid another costly lawsuit.
The argument that the mayor, "should not be asked to set aside pressing city business and wade into a commercial dispute ..." may be solid reasoning as to why such an agreement should not have been crafted in the first place. However, since the mayor took the initiative to enter into this contract (which was never approved by the City Council) with Smith, the city, I believe, has the responsibility to fulfill its obligations.
Michael Bardsley
At-Large city councilor
Northampton
Daily Hampshire Gazette © 2008 All rights reserved
Source URL: http://www.gazettenet.com/2009/12/01/mayor-has-clear-role-play-green-street-cafe-survival
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
More than 3,000 sign petition in support of cafe
Springfield Repulican, Oct. 24, 2009
By NANCY H. GONTER
ngonter@repub.com
NORTHAMPTON - The owners of the Green Street Cafe, which is engaged in a legal battle with its landlord, Smith College, have collected more than 3,000 signatures in support of their restaurant.
Owner John A. Sielski said he and his co-owner and spouse, James Dozmati, started the petition drive because they wanted to know if there was support in the community and to let people know their business is still open.
Green Street Cafe has been open since 1990, except for eight months in 2007. The owners lease the location at 62-68 Green St. from Smith College. The owners intend to present the petition to Mayor Mary Clare Higgins, or her opponent, Michael A. Bardsley, should he win on Nov. 3, to enlist the city's support in their battle with the college. The business has sued Smith College in Superior Court, claiming that Smith breached the lease agreement by closing a 16-space parking lot leased by the cafe on Arnold Street. Smith filed suit in July in Northampton District Court seeking to evict the cafe because it has withheld rent.
Green Street Cafe has not paid its rent since April except for $650 in August, but Sielski said the money is being placed in escrow. The five-year lease, signed in August 2007, calls for the cafe to pay between $2,409 and $2,928 a month for the 2,436-square-foot restaurant space, plus $650 for the parking lot. Smith argues the commercial lease does not allow rent to be withheld, according to court documents.
Kristin A. Cole, Smith College spokeswoman, declined to comment because of the ongoing legal issues.
Sielski said he and Dozmati knew that their customers were supportive, but wanted to gauge public support.
"The main reason was Jim and I felt we needed some support. We were feeling quite alone out here except for our customers, who we know love us," Sielski said.
Sielski and Dozmati hired two young men to work on the petition campaign in downtown Northampton. They will continue to work up until the Nov. 3 election. They were amazed at their success.
"They said it was easy. All they had to do is say 'Green Street Cafe' and people wanted to sign," Sielski said.
Sielski said he is scheduled to meet with Smith College students on Sunday and said more information about the cafe's efforts can be found at www.greenstreetcafe.blog spot.com
Much of the drama started in 2003 when Smith College began working on plans for a $73-million science center nearby. Sielski and Dozmati believed the construction process would hurt their business.
While the case in Superior Court has no dates scheduled, the district court case is scheduled for a status review on Nov. 5.
By NANCY H. GONTER
ngonter@repub.com
NORTHAMPTON - The owners of the Green Street Cafe, which is engaged in a legal battle with its landlord, Smith College, have collected more than 3,000 signatures in support of their restaurant.
Owner John A. Sielski said he and his co-owner and spouse, James Dozmati, started the petition drive because they wanted to know if there was support in the community and to let people know their business is still open.
Green Street Cafe has been open since 1990, except for eight months in 2007. The owners lease the location at 62-68 Green St. from Smith College. The owners intend to present the petition to Mayor Mary Clare Higgins, or her opponent, Michael A. Bardsley, should he win on Nov. 3, to enlist the city's support in their battle with the college. The business has sued Smith College in Superior Court, claiming that Smith breached the lease agreement by closing a 16-space parking lot leased by the cafe on Arnold Street. Smith filed suit in July in Northampton District Court seeking to evict the cafe because it has withheld rent.
Green Street Cafe has not paid its rent since April except for $650 in August, but Sielski said the money is being placed in escrow. The five-year lease, signed in August 2007, calls for the cafe to pay between $2,409 and $2,928 a month for the 2,436-square-foot restaurant space, plus $650 for the parking lot. Smith argues the commercial lease does not allow rent to be withheld, according to court documents.
Kristin A. Cole, Smith College spokeswoman, declined to comment because of the ongoing legal issues.
Sielski said he and Dozmati knew that their customers were supportive, but wanted to gauge public support.
"The main reason was Jim and I felt we needed some support. We were feeling quite alone out here except for our customers, who we know love us," Sielski said.
Sielski and Dozmati hired two young men to work on the petition campaign in downtown Northampton. They will continue to work up until the Nov. 3 election. They were amazed at their success.
"They said it was easy. All they had to do is say 'Green Street Cafe' and people wanted to sign," Sielski said.
Sielski said he is scheduled to meet with Smith College students on Sunday and said more information about the cafe's efforts can be found at www.greenstreetcafe.blog spot.com
Much of the drama started in 2003 when Smith College began working on plans for a $73-million science center nearby. Sielski and Dozmati believed the construction process would hurt their business.
While the case in Superior Court has no dates scheduled, the district court case is scheduled for a status review on Nov. 5.
Northampton's Green Street Cafe, in legal battle with Smith College, gains 3,000 petition signers
The Springfield Republican, Oct. 23, 2009
By Nancy Gonter
ngonter@repub.com
NORTHAMPTON - The owners of the Green Street Cafe, which is engaged in a legal battle with its landlord, Smith College, have collected more than 3,000 signatures in support of their restaurant. Owner John A. Sielski said he and his co-owner and spouse, James Dozmati, started the petition drive because they wanted to know if there was support in the community and to let people know their business is still open. Green Street Cafe has been open since 1990, except for eight months in 2007. The owners lease the location at 62-68 Green St. from Smith College. The owners intend to present the petition to Mayor Mary Clare Higgins, or her opponent, Michael A. Bardsley, should he win on Nov. 3, to enlist the city’s support in their battle with the college. The business has sued Smith College in Superior Court, claiming that Smith breached the lease agreement by closing a 16-space parking lot leased by the cafe on Arnold Street. Smith filed suit in July in Northampton District Court seeking to evict the cafe because it has withheld rent. Green Street Cafe has not paid its rent since April except for $650 in August, but Sielski said the money is being placed in escrow. The five-year lease, signed in August 2007, calls for the cafe to pay between $2,409 and $2,928 a month for the 2,436-square-foot restaurant space, plus $650 for the parking lot. Smith argues the commercial lease does not allow rent to be withheld, according to court documents. Kristin A. Cole, Smith College spokeswoman, declined to comment because of the ongoing legal issues. Sielski said he and Dozmati knew that their customers were supportive, but wanted to gauge public support. “The main reason was Jim and I felt we needed some support. We were feeling quite alone out here except for our customers, who we know love us,” Sielski said. Sielski and Dozmati hired two young men to work on the petition campaign in downtown Northampton. They will continue to work up until the Nov. 3 election. They were amazed at their success. “They said it was easy. All they had to do is say ‘Green Street Cafe’ and people wanted to sign,” Sielski said. Sielski said he is scheduled to meet with Smith College students on Sunday and said more information about the cafe’s efforts can be found at greenstreetcafe.blogspot.com. Much of the drama started in 2003 when Smith College began working on plans for a $73-million science center nearby. Sielski and Dozmati believed the construction process would hurt their business. While the case in Superior Court has no dates scheduled, the district court case is scheduled for a status review on Nov. 5.
© 2009 masslive.com. All rights reserved.
By Nancy Gonter
ngonter@repub.com
NORTHAMPTON - The owners of the Green Street Cafe, which is engaged in a legal battle with its landlord, Smith College, have collected more than 3,000 signatures in support of their restaurant. Owner John A. Sielski said he and his co-owner and spouse, James Dozmati, started the petition drive because they wanted to know if there was support in the community and to let people know their business is still open. Green Street Cafe has been open since 1990, except for eight months in 2007. The owners lease the location at 62-68 Green St. from Smith College. The owners intend to present the petition to Mayor Mary Clare Higgins, or her opponent, Michael A. Bardsley, should he win on Nov. 3, to enlist the city’s support in their battle with the college. The business has sued Smith College in Superior Court, claiming that Smith breached the lease agreement by closing a 16-space parking lot leased by the cafe on Arnold Street. Smith filed suit in July in Northampton District Court seeking to evict the cafe because it has withheld rent. Green Street Cafe has not paid its rent since April except for $650 in August, but Sielski said the money is being placed in escrow. The five-year lease, signed in August 2007, calls for the cafe to pay between $2,409 and $2,928 a month for the 2,436-square-foot restaurant space, plus $650 for the parking lot. Smith argues the commercial lease does not allow rent to be withheld, according to court documents. Kristin A. Cole, Smith College spokeswoman, declined to comment because of the ongoing legal issues. Sielski said he and Dozmati knew that their customers were supportive, but wanted to gauge public support. “The main reason was Jim and I felt we needed some support. We were feeling quite alone out here except for our customers, who we know love us,” Sielski said. Sielski and Dozmati hired two young men to work on the petition campaign in downtown Northampton. They will continue to work up until the Nov. 3 election. They were amazed at their success. “They said it was easy. All they had to do is say ‘Green Street Cafe’ and people wanted to sign,” Sielski said. Sielski said he is scheduled to meet with Smith College students on Sunday and said more information about the cafe’s efforts can be found at greenstreetcafe.blogspot.com. Much of the drama started in 2003 when Smith College began working on plans for a $73-million science center nearby. Sielski and Dozmati believed the construction process would hurt their business. While the case in Superior Court has no dates scheduled, the district court case is scheduled for a status review on Nov. 5.
© 2009 masslive.com. All rights reserved.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Meeting with Smith Students on Sun. Oct 25
John Sielski, co-owner and of the Green Street Cafe, will meet with Smith College students on Sunday, Oct. 25 at the Tyler House at 8 p.m. Sielski will discuss his efforts to persuade Smith College to keep their promises and continue to support the Green Street Cafe which has been in that Northampton neighborhood for more than 20 years offering wonderful food and jobs for the community and students.
In addition, participants will have the opportunity to sign a petition asking Mayor Claire Higgins to intervene and help save Green Street Cafe from extinction due to the actions of Smith College against the restaurant. The petition drive is gaining tremendous support with more than 3,000 signatures collected.
Sign the petition by stopping by the Green Street Cafe!
In addition, participants will have the opportunity to sign a petition asking Mayor Claire Higgins to intervene and help save Green Street Cafe from extinction due to the actions of Smith College against the restaurant. The petition drive is gaining tremendous support with more than 3,000 signatures collected.
Sign the petition by stopping by the Green Street Cafe!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The Letter to the Editor the Daily Hampshire Gazette Wouldn't Publish
July 22, 2009
To the Editor:
I deeply admire what Smith College does as an educational institution of the liberal arts and I enjoy cordial relations with many colleagues at Smith. I cannot say the same about Smith’s postures as a landlord. Smith needs to show its competitive muscle in the academic marketplace, but its muscular approach to a local restaurant seems unworthy of the college and an unintended repudiation of the legacy of one of its distinguished alumnae, Julia Child.
In the current economy the challenges of running both a restaurant and a liberal arts college for women are daunting. By constructing a building for its engineering and microbiology departments, Smith is opening a new frontier for liberal arts colleges for women, once again setting the pace. Killing a successful and nationally respected local restaurant that happens to be a sometimes bumptious tenant bears the marks of corporate arrogance and blindness, a misguided exercise in tough love.
To many people I know, the Green Street Café is not merely a part of the food services industry, but also a mainstay of the greater Northampton community. It is here that doctors, lawyers, professors, psychologists, students and their families, lovers, poets, musicians, writers and artists come to eat and to share thoughts and ideas. Locals who dine here come from the hill towns and from across the Valley, from Springfield and Holyoke, Lenox and Stockbridge, and from New York city. Those who are not local will by word of mouth often end up at Green Street; professional actors from Hollywood to NYC when in town usually dine there, and are left alone to enjoy their dinners with friends or colleagues. Putting the Green Street Café out of business is, whether intended or not, an act of silencing a conversation that that larger community enjoys only in the intimacy and security of the restaurant on Green Street.
Let me give but one anecdote of how that community speaks to itself. Having played the piano at Green Street on a weekly basis for more than ten years, I have accumulated a lot of anecdotes about how this eating place generates a sense of community, but one example must suffice. Before the Spring, 2009, series of weekly poetry readings on Thursday evenings, I would offer an hour or so at the piano, and arrive early enough to have a light supper. Before one of those engagements, I was sitting by myself at a table near the piano when a woman wandered in, new to the restaurant, which at the time was nearly empty. She (let me call her “Ms. Nightingale”) was there for the poetry reading, she said. After scanning the empty tables upstairs, Ms. Nightingale elected to remain in the area near the piano, and I, in a fit of gallantry, invited her to join me. It turned out that she was, like me, a poet, but unlike me, a poetry journal editor from out of town. When she learned that I would be at the piano, she confessed that in her younger years she had had a good voice, and sung many tunes. Like what? I asked. She said she could sing the Schubert “Trout” Lied. We chatted while we ate, and while many poetry-hungry customers streamed by to take their meals upstairs. Finally, it was my time to play. Unexpectedly, as I took my seat, Ms. Nightingale came over to the piano, and suggested we try the “Trout,” which I knew by ear, but which was not in the show tune vein of my Thursday night programme. She sang with a lovely voice, and soon we were improvising around one show tune after another. A small audience had formed in the entry way and along the bar. As we reached the bridge of one tune, she blurted out that she couldn’t remember the lyrics to the next stanza, so I played the bridge by myself to give her time to remember, and was just about to reach the end of the bridge when a Smith College professor, who had been sitting at the bar, raced over to her with his iPhone, having successfully downloaded those missing lyrics. Ms. Nightingale sang the rest of the song, and when she had finished, and after the applause, people asked us how long we had been performing together, and people talked and talked.
This sort of serendipity is hard to come by. The Green Street Café affords many people their chance to be touched by such moments.
It would be an act of bravery on the part of the individuals at the top of Smith College to pull back from the brink of the destruction of a restaurant and the harming of a community. Smith College does not need to be remembered for the lesson it is teaching John Sielski, a local boy from Whately who attended UMass. It needs to be remembered for the role it plays in supporting a web of conversations that make the Northampton area vibrant and sustainable as a community, a role that the liberal arts plays in an institution of higher learning. If the Green Street Café is forced to vacate the premises on Green Street, the restaurant will die. Smith College, a venerable liberal arts institution of higher learning for women will have snuffed the life out of a restaurant for being, well, another home for the liberal arts. I pray that a greater wisdom will prevail at Smith.
Yours truly,
Bill Moebius
Conway, MA
To the Editor:
I deeply admire what Smith College does as an educational institution of the liberal arts and I enjoy cordial relations with many colleagues at Smith. I cannot say the same about Smith’s postures as a landlord. Smith needs to show its competitive muscle in the academic marketplace, but its muscular approach to a local restaurant seems unworthy of the college and an unintended repudiation of the legacy of one of its distinguished alumnae, Julia Child.
In the current economy the challenges of running both a restaurant and a liberal arts college for women are daunting. By constructing a building for its engineering and microbiology departments, Smith is opening a new frontier for liberal arts colleges for women, once again setting the pace. Killing a successful and nationally respected local restaurant that happens to be a sometimes bumptious tenant bears the marks of corporate arrogance and blindness, a misguided exercise in tough love.
To many people I know, the Green Street Café is not merely a part of the food services industry, but also a mainstay of the greater Northampton community. It is here that doctors, lawyers, professors, psychologists, students and their families, lovers, poets, musicians, writers and artists come to eat and to share thoughts and ideas. Locals who dine here come from the hill towns and from across the Valley, from Springfield and Holyoke, Lenox and Stockbridge, and from New York city. Those who are not local will by word of mouth often end up at Green Street; professional actors from Hollywood to NYC when in town usually dine there, and are left alone to enjoy their dinners with friends or colleagues. Putting the Green Street Café out of business is, whether intended or not, an act of silencing a conversation that that larger community enjoys only in the intimacy and security of the restaurant on Green Street.
Let me give but one anecdote of how that community speaks to itself. Having played the piano at Green Street on a weekly basis for more than ten years, I have accumulated a lot of anecdotes about how this eating place generates a sense of community, but one example must suffice. Before the Spring, 2009, series of weekly poetry readings on Thursday evenings, I would offer an hour or so at the piano, and arrive early enough to have a light supper. Before one of those engagements, I was sitting by myself at a table near the piano when a woman wandered in, new to the restaurant, which at the time was nearly empty. She (let me call her “Ms. Nightingale”) was there for the poetry reading, she said. After scanning the empty tables upstairs, Ms. Nightingale elected to remain in the area near the piano, and I, in a fit of gallantry, invited her to join me. It turned out that she was, like me, a poet, but unlike me, a poetry journal editor from out of town. When she learned that I would be at the piano, she confessed that in her younger years she had had a good voice, and sung many tunes. Like what? I asked. She said she could sing the Schubert “Trout” Lied. We chatted while we ate, and while many poetry-hungry customers streamed by to take their meals upstairs. Finally, it was my time to play. Unexpectedly, as I took my seat, Ms. Nightingale came over to the piano, and suggested we try the “Trout,” which I knew by ear, but which was not in the show tune vein of my Thursday night programme. She sang with a lovely voice, and soon we were improvising around one show tune after another. A small audience had formed in the entry way and along the bar. As we reached the bridge of one tune, she blurted out that she couldn’t remember the lyrics to the next stanza, so I played the bridge by myself to give her time to remember, and was just about to reach the end of the bridge when a Smith College professor, who had been sitting at the bar, raced over to her with his iPhone, having successfully downloaded those missing lyrics. Ms. Nightingale sang the rest of the song, and when she had finished, and after the applause, people asked us how long we had been performing together, and people talked and talked.
This sort of serendipity is hard to come by. The Green Street Café affords many people their chance to be touched by such moments.
It would be an act of bravery on the part of the individuals at the top of Smith College to pull back from the brink of the destruction of a restaurant and the harming of a community. Smith College does not need to be remembered for the lesson it is teaching John Sielski, a local boy from Whately who attended UMass. It needs to be remembered for the role it plays in supporting a web of conversations that make the Northampton area vibrant and sustainable as a community, a role that the liberal arts plays in an institution of higher learning. If the Green Street Café is forced to vacate the premises on Green Street, the restaurant will die. Smith College, a venerable liberal arts institution of higher learning for women will have snuffed the life out of a restaurant for being, well, another home for the liberal arts. I pray that a greater wisdom will prevail at Smith.
Yours truly,
Bill Moebius
Conway, MA
Friday, October 2, 2009
The Sophian-Editorial - The Green Street Impasse 9.24.09
The situation between Smith College and Green Street Cafe is getting out of hand. The Green Street Cafe was once part of a thriving Green Street commercial area and an important part of Smith community. Not long ago, the college and the cafe; enjoyed a collaborative relationship. Faculty hosted out-of-town professors and meetings at the restaurant, which billed Smith College directly for such events. The cafe was practically part of campus.But since plans for construction of Ford Hall began, businesses along Green Street have shuttered and the relationship between the cafe and the college has turned sour. Smith offered the cafe's owners a small sum to relocate, and when its owners refused the tedious moving process, the college decided to neglect acting as a courteous landlord. Now things are at an impasse with the cafe owing four months' rent to Smith College, its landlord. The Sophian believes that both sides are being a bit childish. The cafe owners seem to be blatantly refusing to pay rent to spite the college. Meanwhile, Smith seems too concerned with future plans for the cafe's 3,000 square feet - a pittance compared to neighboring Ford Hall, nearly 50 times its size - to care about working with the cafe.The college has every right to want its money, but the fact that Smith refused to accept Jan Carhart's offer to pay the rent owed shows the college's true colors. It's not just about the rent. Smith College wants Green Street Cafe out and it's doing what it can to make that happen. The college prides itself in having a good relationship with downtown, especially via the current BID project, but the college is letting a formerly thriving part of Northampton slip away. Smith has watched, and even played a hand in, the demise of businesses along Green Street. Now, it hopes Green Street Cafe will be the latest casualty. If Smith indeed has long-term development plans for the Green Street area, it needs to be honest about its intentions. And if that were the case, the Sophian would nevertheless see the loss of Green Street Cafe as a severe blow to town-gown relations. Really, we just want Smith College and Green Street Cafe to kiss and makeup. We know both sides have acted immaturely over the course of the dispute, but they both have so much to gain from working together. It would be a shame to see that relationship die.
© Copyright 2009 The Sophian
© Copyright 2009 The Sophian
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sign the Petition to Save the Green Street Cafe!
The following petition can be signed in person at the Green Street Cafe, or emailed directly to the Mayor's office at City Hall. Just copy and paste the petition into the email and include your name and address. Voters have power!
Email to Mayor Mary Clare Higgins:
mayor@northamptonma.gov
“We request the Mayor of the city of Northampton to help save a longstanding member of the business community and a good neighbor, the Green Street Café that is facing closure due to the actions of Smith College. The Green Street Café has contributed to the Northampton community for more than 25 years by providing vital jobs, serving as a community gathering place and also as a well regarded restaurant. The closure of the Green Street Café would signal further deterioration of the neighborhood that is in serious need of attention by the City of Northampton, thus our appeal to the Mayor for assistance in keeping the restaurant open.”
Name Address Email
Email to Mayor Mary Clare Higgins:
mayor@northamptonma.gov
“We request the Mayor of the city of Northampton to help save a longstanding member of the business community and a good neighbor, the Green Street Café that is facing closure due to the actions of Smith College. The Green Street Café has contributed to the Northampton community for more than 25 years by providing vital jobs, serving as a community gathering place and also as a well regarded restaurant. The closure of the Green Street Café would signal further deterioration of the neighborhood that is in serious need of attention by the City of Northampton, thus our appeal to the Mayor for assistance in keeping the restaurant open.”
Name Address Email
The Sophian Reports Struggle with Smith
Cafe, college struggle in damaging legal battle
By: Clare Lynch
Posted: 9/24/09
In the shadow of the newly constructed Ford Hall engineering building, embattled local restaurant Green Street Cafe is struggling to stay alive. Since April, owners of the cafe have been engaged in a pitched legal battle with Smith College, culminating in the college's recent suit to evict the restaurant over unpaid rent. The business stayed open in violation of a June 8 order to vacate, and in July, Smith filed for an eviction in Northampton District Court. Court documents quoted in the Daily Hampshire Gazette state owners John Sielski and Jim Dozmati owe at least $5,566 to Smith, which owns the Green Street property. Sielski confirmed that the cafe has not paid rent since April. "We didn't have the money," Sielski said. "They took away our ability to pay. We ran on fumes all summer."The current legal squabbles are a drastic change from the close relationship Green Street Cafe and Smith used to share. Faculty meetings, concerts, poetry readings and other collaborations were once a norm in the cafe, representing a strong and mutually enriching link between the college and the surrounding community.Tensions began in 2000, when Smith began purchasing commercial property in the Green Street area. In 2004, in advance of the Ford Hall project, Smith wanted the café to relocate and offered $65,000 to move the business. Sielski estimated the cost of reestablishing the cafe at $300,000. The cafe and the college next clashed over construction of Ford Hall. The project required shutting down the Arnold Avenue parking lot behind the cafe, as well as creating noise that harmed the cafe's atmosphere, Sielski said. Sielski and Dozmati sued the college to halt construction. In April, the judge acknowledged that the cafe would be affected by construction, but ruled that halting the project would damage Smith more. Construction continued, and the college arranged to reserve spaces for patrons and employees in a parking lot across the street from the cafe. Despite conciliatory measures by the college, Sielski said the Ford Hall construction crippled his business. The café did not get back their parking lot until August, Sielski said, and they had no parking during graduation weekend. "As soon as construction stopped and school came back, our business doubled," Sielski said. "But it's still not where we want it to be."Dinner reservations have dropped off significantly since the eviction notice, Sielski said. Now 80 percent of callers to the restaurant just wonder if the café is still open.In response, the cafe is courting more drop-in business, especially from students. The cafe has closed a banquet dining room to open a less formal breakfast and lunch option, called Fast Good. Fast Good offers coffee, pastries, soup, salad and sandwiches to go, free Wi-Fi and free student charge accounts. The cafe also has a lunchtime outdoor grill."We are working through a major change for our cafe," Sielski said. "We are going to shift our customer base, and do it quickly."While the cafe struggles to reinvent itself, the acrimonious legal disputes have caused discomfort on campus.Angela Rogan 'AC, who works in the cafe, said she can see both sides of the issue. "Smith as an institution has been very generous and nurtured me," she said. "I can say the same thing about Jim and John. My natural inclination is to fight for the underdog, but I can see Smith's side, too. It's tricky."Rogan and Sielski agreed that there is not much awareness among students of the cafe's troubles. Rogan said faculty are more attuned to the dispute."I see faculty more often siding with Smith, saying the restaurant is being uncooperative," Rogan said.Sielski said that most of his support has come from alumni, including monetary donations, letters of support and free legal and public relations counseling.One alumna, Florence resident Jan Carhart, even offered to pay Smith the outstanding rent to halt the eviction process. Smith declined, saying that was not a long-term solution, according to a Gazette article from July 21. Sielski admits he has little hope for the future of the cafe. "There's no winning," he said. Still, he cannot imagine a life beyond Green Street Cafe. "This is all we do," Sielski said. "If we don't have this, we're ruined.""We would always prefer a reasonable and amicable resolution," said Laurie Fenlason, Smith's Executive Director of Public Affairs, in an e-mail response. Fenlason did not elaborate on how such a resolution might be reached. Smith has no immediate plans for the Green Street location, Fenlason said.
© Copyright 2009 The Sophian
By: Clare Lynch
Posted: 9/24/09
In the shadow of the newly constructed Ford Hall engineering building, embattled local restaurant Green Street Cafe is struggling to stay alive. Since April, owners of the cafe have been engaged in a pitched legal battle with Smith College, culminating in the college's recent suit to evict the restaurant over unpaid rent. The business stayed open in violation of a June 8 order to vacate, and in July, Smith filed for an eviction in Northampton District Court. Court documents quoted in the Daily Hampshire Gazette state owners John Sielski and Jim Dozmati owe at least $5,566 to Smith, which owns the Green Street property. Sielski confirmed that the cafe has not paid rent since April. "We didn't have the money," Sielski said. "They took away our ability to pay. We ran on fumes all summer."The current legal squabbles are a drastic change from the close relationship Green Street Cafe and Smith used to share. Faculty meetings, concerts, poetry readings and other collaborations were once a norm in the cafe, representing a strong and mutually enriching link between the college and the surrounding community.Tensions began in 2000, when Smith began purchasing commercial property in the Green Street area. In 2004, in advance of the Ford Hall project, Smith wanted the café to relocate and offered $65,000 to move the business. Sielski estimated the cost of reestablishing the cafe at $300,000. The cafe and the college next clashed over construction of Ford Hall. The project required shutting down the Arnold Avenue parking lot behind the cafe, as well as creating noise that harmed the cafe's atmosphere, Sielski said. Sielski and Dozmati sued the college to halt construction. In April, the judge acknowledged that the cafe would be affected by construction, but ruled that halting the project would damage Smith more. Construction continued, and the college arranged to reserve spaces for patrons and employees in a parking lot across the street from the cafe. Despite conciliatory measures by the college, Sielski said the Ford Hall construction crippled his business. The café did not get back their parking lot until August, Sielski said, and they had no parking during graduation weekend. "As soon as construction stopped and school came back, our business doubled," Sielski said. "But it's still not where we want it to be."Dinner reservations have dropped off significantly since the eviction notice, Sielski said. Now 80 percent of callers to the restaurant just wonder if the café is still open.In response, the cafe is courting more drop-in business, especially from students. The cafe has closed a banquet dining room to open a less formal breakfast and lunch option, called Fast Good. Fast Good offers coffee, pastries, soup, salad and sandwiches to go, free Wi-Fi and free student charge accounts. The cafe also has a lunchtime outdoor grill."We are working through a major change for our cafe," Sielski said. "We are going to shift our customer base, and do it quickly."While the cafe struggles to reinvent itself, the acrimonious legal disputes have caused discomfort on campus.Angela Rogan 'AC, who works in the cafe, said she can see both sides of the issue. "Smith as an institution has been very generous and nurtured me," she said. "I can say the same thing about Jim and John. My natural inclination is to fight for the underdog, but I can see Smith's side, too. It's tricky."Rogan and Sielski agreed that there is not much awareness among students of the cafe's troubles. Rogan said faculty are more attuned to the dispute."I see faculty more often siding with Smith, saying the restaurant is being uncooperative," Rogan said.Sielski said that most of his support has come from alumni, including monetary donations, letters of support and free legal and public relations counseling.One alumna, Florence resident Jan Carhart, even offered to pay Smith the outstanding rent to halt the eviction process. Smith declined, saying that was not a long-term solution, according to a Gazette article from July 21. Sielski admits he has little hope for the future of the cafe. "There's no winning," he said. Still, he cannot imagine a life beyond Green Street Cafe. "This is all we do," Sielski said. "If we don't have this, we're ruined.""We would always prefer a reasonable and amicable resolution," said Laurie Fenlason, Smith's Executive Director of Public Affairs, in an e-mail response. Fenlason did not elaborate on how such a resolution might be reached. Smith has no immediate plans for the Green Street location, Fenlason said.
© Copyright 2009 The Sophian
Monday, August 17, 2009
"Setback for Sustainability"
"Setback for Sustainability"
Will this be the last chapter in the bittersweet saga of Green Street Cafe?
Valley Advocate
By Mary Nelen
July 30, 2009
In Northampton, Green Street Cafe is being evicted from its place of business by Smith College.
Green Street Cafe, an earnest, passionately French restaurant with the best risotto in town, had a handshake deal with Smith College for years. Parties, lunches, seminars and other college-related functions took place at Green Street, loved by many for its food, its fireplace and its irascible front-of-the-house guy.
Owners John Sielski and Jim Dozmati are the kind of people who treated staff and customers like family. Many young chefs who were trained at Green Street Cafe went on to open their own restaurants in the area. John, who grew up in Hatfield, grew the veggies for the restaurant in his garden in Easthampton. Just last month, when risotto with fresh peas was on the menu, those were John's peas. It was the kind of place where the owners' devotion to food went so far beyond the bottom line that as a diner there, you always felt a little bit guilty that the quality was so high and their dedication was so evident in the attention to detail; fresh flowers, handwritten menus, house-made deserts.
More than a few years ago it was announced that Smith College would be making room for its latest vision, an engineering school for women—the first in the country! Not unlike the original vision of Smith, a college for women! Eventually the school got built and one by one the tenants on the little block crawled away. But not Green Street Cafe. In the shadow of the wrecking ball, the owners hung on, doing anything they could to keep going. They served lunch. They did a Sunday brunch. They tried a subscription pay-up-front system and because of a very loyal following, they managed to hang on for longer than most would have. After many setbacks and a lost opportunity to relocate, they hired a PR consultant from Boston and got a blog, but last week they were served final eviction papers once again. This time it is for back rent of $5,566. A patron offered to pay the tab but lawyers from Smith are saying the payment is not a sustainable solution to the problem.
Will this be the last chapter in the bittersweet saga of Green Street Cafe?
Valley Advocate
By Mary Nelen
July 30, 2009
In Northampton, Green Street Cafe is being evicted from its place of business by Smith College.
Green Street Cafe, an earnest, passionately French restaurant with the best risotto in town, had a handshake deal with Smith College for years. Parties, lunches, seminars and other college-related functions took place at Green Street, loved by many for its food, its fireplace and its irascible front-of-the-house guy.
Owners John Sielski and Jim Dozmati are the kind of people who treated staff and customers like family. Many young chefs who were trained at Green Street Cafe went on to open their own restaurants in the area. John, who grew up in Hatfield, grew the veggies for the restaurant in his garden in Easthampton. Just last month, when risotto with fresh peas was on the menu, those were John's peas. It was the kind of place where the owners' devotion to food went so far beyond the bottom line that as a diner there, you always felt a little bit guilty that the quality was so high and their dedication was so evident in the attention to detail; fresh flowers, handwritten menus, house-made deserts.
More than a few years ago it was announced that Smith College would be making room for its latest vision, an engineering school for women—the first in the country! Not unlike the original vision of Smith, a college for women! Eventually the school got built and one by one the tenants on the little block crawled away. But not Green Street Cafe. In the shadow of the wrecking ball, the owners hung on, doing anything they could to keep going. They served lunch. They did a Sunday brunch. They tried a subscription pay-up-front system and because of a very loyal following, they managed to hang on for longer than most would have. After many setbacks and a lost opportunity to relocate, they hired a PR consultant from Boston and got a blog, but last week they were served final eviction papers once again. This time it is for back rent of $5,566. A patron offered to pay the tab but lawyers from Smith are saying the payment is not a sustainable solution to the problem.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Smith College files suit to evict Green Street Cafe from Northampton location
by The Republican Newsroom
Tuesday July 21, 2009, 2:53 PM
By FRED CONTRADA
fcontrada@repub.com
NORTHAMPTON - The Green Street Cafe and Smith College are engaged in a game of chicken, and it isn't cordon bleu.
Last week, Smith filed for summary process in Northampton Superior Court, seeking to evict the restaurant from its 62-68 Green St.
It's the latest shot in a legal battle that has been going on for several years between the college and restaurant owners John A. Sielski and L. James Dozmati.
The dispute between the two parties goes back to 2003 when the cafe served as a gathering place for neighborhood residents opposed to the construction of Smith's new science center. The college, which owns the building where the restaurant is located, demolished several nearby buildings it owned to make way for the $73 million facility.
Sielski and Dozmati argued that the construction of the building next door to their restaurant would detract from their business. When Smith closed the 16-space parking lot behind the restaurant to use by their customers, Sielski and Dozmati filed suit in Hampshire Superior Court.
In the complaint filed July 14 by Smith, the college maintains that Sielski and Dozmati have not paid rent since April and owe $5,566. The non-payment violates the terms of the lease and allows Smith to take possession of the building, according to Daniel Finnegan the college's lawyer.
Mark A. Tanner, who represents Green Street, replied with a motion to dismiss the complaint or join it with the on-going suit in Superior Court. That suit also seeks damages for breach of contract.
"Smith College took back the parking lot for its own use," Tanner said Tuesday. "That's akin to renting me a house and saying that you're taking back the house."
Sielski said he believes the college has been trying to force him out for five years.
"They keep saying they're trying to help, but there's never any sane offer to help," he said.
Since it opened 18 years ago, Green Street has developed a loyal following, including many members of the Smith community.
Jan B. Carhart, a 1975 Smith alumna, has even offered to pay the overdue rent.
"I put it in writing to President (Carol) Christ," Carhart said. "They declined."
Carhart, who eats at Green Street three or four times a week, takes the restaurant's side in the dispute and said she is embarrassed by the way Smith has pursued the matter.
"I don't like to see my alma mater pull a stunt like that," she said.
Green Street closed for several months in 2007 after Sielski and Dozmati failed to address state fire code violations. The owners contended that it was Smith's responsibility, as landlord, to pay for the improvements. When Smith and the owners agreed to a new lease in September, 2007, the college promised to address noise and dust problems resulting from the construction of the science center. It termed the lease "favorable, generous and conducive to a successful restaurant business."
Tanner said he expects a hearing on the legal matters to take place in Northampton District Court on Aug. 6.
Tuesday July 21, 2009, 2:53 PM
By FRED CONTRADA
fcontrada@repub.com
NORTHAMPTON - The Green Street Cafe and Smith College are engaged in a game of chicken, and it isn't cordon bleu.
Last week, Smith filed for summary process in Northampton Superior Court, seeking to evict the restaurant from its 62-68 Green St.
It's the latest shot in a legal battle that has been going on for several years between the college and restaurant owners John A. Sielski and L. James Dozmati.
The dispute between the two parties goes back to 2003 when the cafe served as a gathering place for neighborhood residents opposed to the construction of Smith's new science center. The college, which owns the building where the restaurant is located, demolished several nearby buildings it owned to make way for the $73 million facility.
Sielski and Dozmati argued that the construction of the building next door to their restaurant would detract from their business. When Smith closed the 16-space parking lot behind the restaurant to use by their customers, Sielski and Dozmati filed suit in Hampshire Superior Court.
In the complaint filed July 14 by Smith, the college maintains that Sielski and Dozmati have not paid rent since April and owe $5,566. The non-payment violates the terms of the lease and allows Smith to take possession of the building, according to Daniel Finnegan the college's lawyer.
Mark A. Tanner, who represents Green Street, replied with a motion to dismiss the complaint or join it with the on-going suit in Superior Court. That suit also seeks damages for breach of contract.
"Smith College took back the parking lot for its own use," Tanner said Tuesday. "That's akin to renting me a house and saying that you're taking back the house."
Sielski said he believes the college has been trying to force him out for five years.
"They keep saying they're trying to help, but there's never any sane offer to help," he said.
Since it opened 18 years ago, Green Street has developed a loyal following, including many members of the Smith community.
Jan B. Carhart, a 1975 Smith alumna, has even offered to pay the overdue rent.
"I put it in writing to President (Carol) Christ," Carhart said. "They declined."
Carhart, who eats at Green Street three or four times a week, takes the restaurant's side in the dispute and said she is embarrassed by the way Smith has pursued the matter.
"I don't like to see my alma mater pull a stunt like that," she said.
Green Street closed for several months in 2007 after Sielski and Dozmati failed to address state fire code violations. The owners contended that it was Smith's responsibility, as landlord, to pay for the improvements. When Smith and the owners agreed to a new lease in September, 2007, the college promised to address noise and dust problems resulting from the construction of the science center. It termed the lease "favorable, generous and conducive to a successful restaurant business."
Tanner said he expects a hearing on the legal matters to take place in Northampton District Court on Aug. 6.
Smith Alumna Blasts President Christ's Office for Bullying Green Street Cafe
Jan Carhart,
Ms. Laurie Fenlason
Executive Director of Public Affairs
and Special Assistant to the President
Dear Ms. Fenlason:
Many thanks for your recent reply to my letter concerning Green Street Café. I also appreciate having a copy of the piece you wrote for the Hampshire Gazette.
While it’s clear that your understanding of the situation and that of the owners of Green Street Café differ dramatically, I remain convinced that the construction process and Smith’s handling of it has done the Café great harm. It appears the College expected John and Jim to forego their original lease with its option to extend the lease and to absorb the considerable expense of relocating, remodeling at a new location, and re-establishing their business elsewhere for approximately $65,000 -- only $35,000 of which entailed an actual cash payment to cover the substantial cost involved.
This hardly seems reasonable when an established business with a solid lease in place is generating gross revenues up to $700,000.00 or more per year and is comfortably providing income and benefits to two owners plus approximately ten fulltime employees. (Another ten or so part time employees received income, but no benefits.) Having spent many years working in financial and investment management, I fail to see the attractiveness -- much less generosity -- of such an offer and, in the absence of the College negotiating more reasonable terms, can only describe Smith’s position as, at best, mean-spirited or even sharp-dealing and bullying. It clearly left Jim and John with no alternative but to attempt continuing their business in the face of all the various problems created by the construction.
Furthermore, the implication that Green Street Café has no basis for claiming that the College “ceased doing business with the Café” seems disingenuous. There are, I know, many Smith employees who personally enjoy the restaurant and who likely use it for College-related functions now and then. In 2003 or 2004, however, Smith revoked the Café’s ability to bill the College directly for such functions, requiring instead that those hosting them pay personally by check or credit card then seek reimbursement from the College. It seems fair to say that refusing to accept invoices from the Café for college functions, among a handful of other actions apparently taken by the College, constituted a decision by Smith as an institution to cease doing direct business with the Café and dramatically diminished the income generated by the restaurant’s major institutional client. It terminated the friendly, mutually beneficial relationship the Café and Smith once enjoyed, a situation that seems especially unfortunate when the alternatives to using Green Street Café may in fact be more costly to the College.
I don’t want to spend time here reviewing other perspectives on the parking situation, on the Café’s closing over fire code issues, and various other things. Suffice it to say that I fear Smith has chosen to discredit the valid concerns and needs of an established commercial tenant in order to assert its own interests in the property. In doing so the College has severely financially compromised the café owners and their employees. Rather than displaying the caring, responsible behavior of a good citizen, the College appears willing to trample a tenant whose interests do not match those of the College, even in the face of those divergent interests having a leasehold interest that should protect them.
In short, I couldn’t be sorrier to learn that Smith is determined to pursue the course it has chosen. That said, if, at any time, my earlier offer might prove helpful, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
Sincerely yours,
Jan Carhart
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Daily Hampshire Gazette Reports on Eviction Notice from Smith College
Published on GazetteNET (http://www.gazettenet.com)
Smith ends lease, but Green Street Cafe hangs on
By Kristin Palpini
Created 06/17/2009 -
NORTHAMPTON - Green Street Cafe was supposed to be vacated Sunday.
Last week owners John Sielski and Jim Dozmati received a lease termination notice from landlords, Smith College, for nonpayment of rent. The June 8 letter stated that cafe owners had five days to vacate 64 Green St. or pay the outstanding three months' rent.
But on Tuesday the money had not been paid and, in defiance of Smith's notice, it was business as usual at the French cuisine restaurant the two men started 18 years ago.
That afternoon, Sielski was sitting with customers in the main dining room going over a riffled-through newspaper. A waitress dressed in a black and white striped dress answered phones and brought tea to tables. The first-floor dining room carried a light aroma of white wine sauce. The restaurant hummed with light jazz music punctuated by the pinched beeps of a front-loader backing up outside.
"It was scary when that letter came last week," said Sielski. "The notice to vacate, the day we got it, it didn't hit us. The next day it was hard to put one foot in front of the other."
The notice to vacate is the latest twist in a five-year struggle between the college and the cafe over use of the 3,000-square-foot space at 64 Green St. The two have been wrangling over what, if anything, Smith College owes the cafe, due to disruptions caused by Smith's construction of Ford Hall, a 140,000-square-foot engineering and science building next door to the cafe.
Laurie Fenlason, Smith College's executive director of public affairs, confirmed the notice to vacate and said the college does not have any immediate plans for the cafe property.
"This all transpired very recently, and we haven't begun any discussions about future plans for the space," Fenlason said in an email to the Gazette.
Sielski said he has no plans to close Green Street Cafe. He and Dozmati will attempt to pay the back rent. A Smith College alumna and Florence resident, Jan Carhart, has offered to pay money owed to Smith, but it is unclear if the cash will be accepted by the college.
In the meantime, Sielski and Dozmati will continue to run the cafe until some kind of agreement is reached or they are forced out of the building.
"We'll put all the staff in camouflage," Sielski joked.
"This is just what we do," he added. "We're just going to come in here and try to concentrate on what it takes to run the cafe."
The latest twist
The relationship between Smith College and the Green Street Cafe was not always this contentious. For the first 13 years of the cafe's lease, the restaurant was an unofficial extension of the Smith College campus, catering events, hosting meetings and private engagements. Art, poetry readings and live music have long been a staple.
Around 2004, Smith College started moving forward with plans to develop an academic engineering building next door to the eatery. After that, the relationship between the cafe and the college was never the same.
Smith wanted the cafe to relocate and offered to pay $65,000 for moving expenses, but owners estimated it would cost $300,000 to relaunch the cafe in another location.
The cafe maintained its home on Green Street throughout construction, but closed for seven months in 2007 due to fire code violations, which also resulted in the restaurant's liquor license being suspended. The license was restored and the cafe reopened in September 2007.
Sielski said he fell three months behind in rent mostly due to a lack of revenue.
The restaurant's temporary closure severely interrupted business and the clientele has yet to rebound to pre-closing numbers, Sielski said. Also, Green Street Cafe has more recently been hamstrung by a lack of parking. According to a lawsuit filed by the cafe owners against Smith, the restaurant's back parking lot has been obstructed by Ford Hall construction. Sielski also complained that spaces along surrounding streets periodically have been made unavailable due to construction. In April, a judge ruled in favor of Smith, saying the college would suffer a greater loss if the work were prevented than the cafe would if it were allowed.
"You lose your parking, you lose your business," Sielski said.
Cafe owners are also grappling with $150,000 in back taxes owed to Northampton.
In the end, Smith wasn't paid because owners didn't have enough money to cover all their bills, Sielski said. Something had to go. Sielski said he and Dozmati decided to pay back a plumbing contractor instead of Smith.
"They stopped our ability to pay our rent when they took away our parking lot," Sielski said. "Effectively, they took away our business - it's not just parking spaces."
Now Sielski and Dozmati are trying to figure out how to keep Green Street Cafe alive despite the notice to vacate. Carhart, a longtime patron, has offered to pay the back rent to Smith College. She spoke with the college's attorney, but has not heard whether her money will be accepted, she said.
"It's not about getting our money back - we'll eat it off there in no time," Carhart said. By paying "the back rent, I would hope that it would at least freeze things for a while. I hope they (Smith and Green Street Cafe) would negotiate something that makes more sense."
Many options appear to be on the table for Sielski and Dozmati at the moment. Over a cup of tea Tuesday afternoon, Sielski discussed paying the back rent, legal options, starting another prepay dinner and lunch campaign, and moving the restaurant outside of Northampton.
Sielski, 60, acknowledged that opening a new restaurant at his age would be difficult, but the business is in his blood.
"This is our life," he said. "This is what we do."
Daily Hampshire Gazette © 2008 All rights reserved
Smith ends lease, but Green Street Cafe hangs on
By Kristin Palpini
Created 06/17/2009 -
NORTHAMPTON - Green Street Cafe was supposed to be vacated Sunday.
Last week owners John Sielski and Jim Dozmati received a lease termination notice from landlords, Smith College, for nonpayment of rent. The June 8 letter stated that cafe owners had five days to vacate 64 Green St. or pay the outstanding three months' rent.
But on Tuesday the money had not been paid and, in defiance of Smith's notice, it was business as usual at the French cuisine restaurant the two men started 18 years ago.
That afternoon, Sielski was sitting with customers in the main dining room going over a riffled-through newspaper. A waitress dressed in a black and white striped dress answered phones and brought tea to tables. The first-floor dining room carried a light aroma of white wine sauce. The restaurant hummed with light jazz music punctuated by the pinched beeps of a front-loader backing up outside.
"It was scary when that letter came last week," said Sielski. "The notice to vacate, the day we got it, it didn't hit us. The next day it was hard to put one foot in front of the other."
The notice to vacate is the latest twist in a five-year struggle between the college and the cafe over use of the 3,000-square-foot space at 64 Green St. The two have been wrangling over what, if anything, Smith College owes the cafe, due to disruptions caused by Smith's construction of Ford Hall, a 140,000-square-foot engineering and science building next door to the cafe.
Laurie Fenlason, Smith College's executive director of public affairs, confirmed the notice to vacate and said the college does not have any immediate plans for the cafe property.
"This all transpired very recently, and we haven't begun any discussions about future plans for the space," Fenlason said in an email to the Gazette.
Sielski said he has no plans to close Green Street Cafe. He and Dozmati will attempt to pay the back rent. A Smith College alumna and Florence resident, Jan Carhart, has offered to pay money owed to Smith, but it is unclear if the cash will be accepted by the college.
In the meantime, Sielski and Dozmati will continue to run the cafe until some kind of agreement is reached or they are forced out of the building.
"We'll put all the staff in camouflage," Sielski joked.
"This is just what we do," he added. "We're just going to come in here and try to concentrate on what it takes to run the cafe."
The latest twist
The relationship between Smith College and the Green Street Cafe was not always this contentious. For the first 13 years of the cafe's lease, the restaurant was an unofficial extension of the Smith College campus, catering events, hosting meetings and private engagements. Art, poetry readings and live music have long been a staple.
Around 2004, Smith College started moving forward with plans to develop an academic engineering building next door to the eatery. After that, the relationship between the cafe and the college was never the same.
Smith wanted the cafe to relocate and offered to pay $65,000 for moving expenses, but owners estimated it would cost $300,000 to relaunch the cafe in another location.
The cafe maintained its home on Green Street throughout construction, but closed for seven months in 2007 due to fire code violations, which also resulted in the restaurant's liquor license being suspended. The license was restored and the cafe reopened in September 2007.
Sielski said he fell three months behind in rent mostly due to a lack of revenue.
The restaurant's temporary closure severely interrupted business and the clientele has yet to rebound to pre-closing numbers, Sielski said. Also, Green Street Cafe has more recently been hamstrung by a lack of parking. According to a lawsuit filed by the cafe owners against Smith, the restaurant's back parking lot has been obstructed by Ford Hall construction. Sielski also complained that spaces along surrounding streets periodically have been made unavailable due to construction. In April, a judge ruled in favor of Smith, saying the college would suffer a greater loss if the work were prevented than the cafe would if it were allowed.
"You lose your parking, you lose your business," Sielski said.
Cafe owners are also grappling with $150,000 in back taxes owed to Northampton.
In the end, Smith wasn't paid because owners didn't have enough money to cover all their bills, Sielski said. Something had to go. Sielski said he and Dozmati decided to pay back a plumbing contractor instead of Smith.
"They stopped our ability to pay our rent when they took away our parking lot," Sielski said. "Effectively, they took away our business - it's not just parking spaces."
Now Sielski and Dozmati are trying to figure out how to keep Green Street Cafe alive despite the notice to vacate. Carhart, a longtime patron, has offered to pay the back rent to Smith College. She spoke with the college's attorney, but has not heard whether her money will be accepted, she said.
"It's not about getting our money back - we'll eat it off there in no time," Carhart said. By paying "the back rent, I would hope that it would at least freeze things for a while. I hope they (Smith and Green Street Cafe) would negotiate something that makes more sense."
Many options appear to be on the table for Sielski and Dozmati at the moment. Over a cup of tea Tuesday afternoon, Sielski discussed paying the back rent, legal options, starting another prepay dinner and lunch campaign, and moving the restaurant outside of Northampton.
Sielski, 60, acknowledged that opening a new restaurant at his age would be difficult, but the business is in his blood.
"This is our life," he said. "This is what we do."
Daily Hampshire Gazette © 2008 All rights reserved
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Boston Globe Reports on Plight of Green Street Cafe
Feud simmers as café fights expansion at Smith College
New building mars town-gown relations
New building mars town-gown relations
Employees at the Green Street Cafe in the shadow of Smith College in Northampton prepared for work recently at the restaurant. (Essdras M Suarez/ Globe Staff)
NORTHAMPTON - John Sielski and his partner, Jim Dozmati, have fallen on hard times. The owners of the venerable Green Street Café, a longtime favorite in this lively western Massachusetts city, they have remortgaged their house and sold off an adjacent piece of property, given up their private health insurance and signed onto the state plan, and slashed their employees' salaries by 20 percent.
Their woes are familiar in the midst of a battered economy. But the economy is not their problem, say the café owners, who have labored over signature dishes like escargot in parchment and chicken with peaches and sage for nearly two decades at the edge of the Smith College campus. Instead, they say, it is Smith - their landlord, closest neighbor, and, for many years, their best customer - that has driven them to the brink of closure.
The college is finishing construction this summer on Ford Hall, a gleaming science and engineering center next to the café. The $73 million, 140,000-square-foot structure, with state-of-the-art classrooms and an environmentally friendly design, is a striking addition on a campus where most science buildings date to the 1960s. It will house Smith's groundbreaking engineering program, the first in the country at a women's college.
But as Smith steps forward, say the restaurant owners next door, it has elbowed them out of the way. They say the college promised to relocate them but did not follow through, leaving them to suffer during two years of construction: trucks blocking their doors; noise and fumes; the loss of their parking lot for two and a half months. Most devastating was an eight-month closure, forced by problems with their Smith-owned building, that dragged on as they wrangled with the college over their lease.
The small-town feud has bitterly divided two institutions that were once a model of town-gown relations, and made things awkward for faculty and alumnae caught between their school and their love of a good meal.
Last week, college trustees sent the cash-strapped café a letter terminating its lease for missing rent payments.
"We thought we were in paradise here," said Sielski, 60, a white-haired native of the Pioneer Valley. "We were at the peak of our careers, with a wonderful following . . . Now all we want is to keep our restaurant."
College leaders say they have gone out of their way to help the café, offering moving expenses and halving the rent during construction. They say they have tried to minimize disruption, and were not responsible for the restaurant's closure because they did not acquire the building until 2007, just before building-code violations resulted in the loss of the café's liquor license.
What's good for the college will also boost the café, they said.
"With the opening of Ford Hall, the whole locus of activity is going to shift next door to them," said Laurie Fenlason, special assistant to Smith's president. "It's hard to see how that's going to mean less business."
Together for 32 years and married for five, Sielski and Dozmati moved to Northampton in 1990 from New York City, where they worked in catering and gardening. They restored a former rooming house on sleepy Green Street, and created a restaurant that felt like a dinner party, with its string of five small dining rooms, painted shades of wine or pumpkin, and presided over, always, by its two familiar hosts.
The café soon became a Smith College favorite, with as many as a dozen college receptions, dinners, and meetings held there each week.
"For ages, it was the faculty club away from the faculty club," said Jan Carhart, a Smith alumna who eats there frequently.
With business holding steady, Sielski and Dozmati honed their menu. They focused on local foods, and started growing produce in a sprawling backyard garden: 18 kinds of heirloom tomatoes; lavender for crème brûlée; strawberries to be served with almond crème anglaise.
Their reputation grew, and so did their following. Rachel Maddow, an MSNBC TV personality, called the café her "home away from home" in Travel + Leisure magazine. It became a home for local artists, too, with weekly poetry readings, in-house exhibitions, and musicians playing nightly for dinner.
The neighborhood was heading for a change, however. Seeking room to grow, Smith spent years buying up properties on its perimeter. The college demolished several apartment buildings to make way for Ford Hall, sparking protests by neighbors. College officials have said they might expand more into the neighborhood, casting the café's future further into question.
As the college prepared to break ground on its science center three years ago, talks about relocating the café broke down. The owners found a space, but said renovations would cost $700,000. Smith offered $65,000. The restaurant stayed put.
To express their growing anxiety, Sielski and Dozmati hired an artist to paint a 30-foot mural on one wall. Titled "The Last Staff Supper," it depicts the café's owners and employees dining together in the shadow of Smith's wrecking ball.
In February 2007, just before construction began, the city seized the café's liquor license for code violations. Sielski says the building had been marked for acquisition by Smith for years, and that college officials told him they would repair it, but never did. Fenlason, the college spokeswoman, said Smith acquired the building the same month the license was stripped.
The café shut its doors, and missed the lucrative spring graduation season. Disagreement with Smith over its lease postponed its reopening for months, Sielski said. The couple's income disappeared and their debts mounted, while veteran staff and customers drifted away. When they reopened eight months later, in October 2007, they rallied their regulars to get them through the costly start-up, selling prepaid dinners at a discount. But they have not recovered. The café owes $150,000 in back taxes, Sielski said, and its survival is uncertain.
The restaurant owners took Smith to court in April to stop construction crews from taking over their parking lot for 10 weeks. A judge declined to halt the work, saying the likely damage to Smith outweighed the restaurant's pain.
The two men said they will fight on in court, seeking damages, an apology, and to save what they call their life's work.
The fighting has embarrassed some café devotees. "It's mortifying," said Carhart, the Smith alumna. "It hurts, because I think the world of Smith."
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
Their woes are familiar in the midst of a battered economy. But the economy is not their problem, say the café owners, who have labored over signature dishes like escargot in parchment and chicken with peaches and sage for nearly two decades at the edge of the Smith College campus. Instead, they say, it is Smith - their landlord, closest neighbor, and, for many years, their best customer - that has driven them to the brink of closure.
The college is finishing construction this summer on Ford Hall, a gleaming science and engineering center next to the café. The $73 million, 140,000-square-foot structure, with state-of-the-art classrooms and an environmentally friendly design, is a striking addition on a campus where most science buildings date to the 1960s. It will house Smith's groundbreaking engineering program, the first in the country at a women's college.
But as Smith steps forward, say the restaurant owners next door, it has elbowed them out of the way. They say the college promised to relocate them but did not follow through, leaving them to suffer during two years of construction: trucks blocking their doors; noise and fumes; the loss of their parking lot for two and a half months. Most devastating was an eight-month closure, forced by problems with their Smith-owned building, that dragged on as they wrangled with the college over their lease.
The small-town feud has bitterly divided two institutions that were once a model of town-gown relations, and made things awkward for faculty and alumnae caught between their school and their love of a good meal.
Last week, college trustees sent the cash-strapped café a letter terminating its lease for missing rent payments.
"We thought we were in paradise here," said Sielski, 60, a white-haired native of the Pioneer Valley. "We were at the peak of our careers, with a wonderful following . . . Now all we want is to keep our restaurant."
College leaders say they have gone out of their way to help the café, offering moving expenses and halving the rent during construction. They say they have tried to minimize disruption, and were not responsible for the restaurant's closure because they did not acquire the building until 2007, just before building-code violations resulted in the loss of the café's liquor license.
What's good for the college will also boost the café, they said.
"With the opening of Ford Hall, the whole locus of activity is going to shift next door to them," said Laurie Fenlason, special assistant to Smith's president. "It's hard to see how that's going to mean less business."
Together for 32 years and married for five, Sielski and Dozmati moved to Northampton in 1990 from New York City, where they worked in catering and gardening. They restored a former rooming house on sleepy Green Street, and created a restaurant that felt like a dinner party, with its string of five small dining rooms, painted shades of wine or pumpkin, and presided over, always, by its two familiar hosts.
The café soon became a Smith College favorite, with as many as a dozen college receptions, dinners, and meetings held there each week.
"For ages, it was the faculty club away from the faculty club," said Jan Carhart, a Smith alumna who eats there frequently.
With business holding steady, Sielski and Dozmati honed their menu. They focused on local foods, and started growing produce in a sprawling backyard garden: 18 kinds of heirloom tomatoes; lavender for crème brûlée; strawberries to be served with almond crème anglaise.
Their reputation grew, and so did their following. Rachel Maddow, an MSNBC TV personality, called the café her "home away from home" in Travel + Leisure magazine. It became a home for local artists, too, with weekly poetry readings, in-house exhibitions, and musicians playing nightly for dinner.
The neighborhood was heading for a change, however. Seeking room to grow, Smith spent years buying up properties on its perimeter. The college demolished several apartment buildings to make way for Ford Hall, sparking protests by neighbors. College officials have said they might expand more into the neighborhood, casting the café's future further into question.
As the college prepared to break ground on its science center three years ago, talks about relocating the café broke down. The owners found a space, but said renovations would cost $700,000. Smith offered $65,000. The restaurant stayed put.
To express their growing anxiety, Sielski and Dozmati hired an artist to paint a 30-foot mural on one wall. Titled "The Last Staff Supper," it depicts the café's owners and employees dining together in the shadow of Smith's wrecking ball.
In February 2007, just before construction began, the city seized the café's liquor license for code violations. Sielski says the building had been marked for acquisition by Smith for years, and that college officials told him they would repair it, but never did. Fenlason, the college spokeswoman, said Smith acquired the building the same month the license was stripped.
The café shut its doors, and missed the lucrative spring graduation season. Disagreement with Smith over its lease postponed its reopening for months, Sielski said. The couple's income disappeared and their debts mounted, while veteran staff and customers drifted away. When they reopened eight months later, in October 2007, they rallied their regulars to get them through the costly start-up, selling prepaid dinners at a discount. But they have not recovered. The café owes $150,000 in back taxes, Sielski said, and its survival is uncertain.
The restaurant owners took Smith to court in April to stop construction crews from taking over their parking lot for 10 weeks. A judge declined to halt the work, saying the likely damage to Smith outweighed the restaurant's pain.
The two men said they will fight on in court, seeking damages, an apology, and to save what they call their life's work.
The fighting has embarrassed some café devotees. "It's mortifying," said Carhart, the Smith alumna. "It hurts, because I think the world of Smith."
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Article found in the Smith College Sophian 4/16/09
Ford Hall Construction Creates Conflict with Green Street Cafe
Clare Lynch
Issue date: 4/16/09
Controversy over the construction of the new Ford Hall engineering building on Green Street was highlighted last month when the owners of the Green Street Cafe filed a lawsuit seeking to halt construction that would block access to the cafe. On April 3, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reported that Judge Peter Veilis ruled in favor of Smith College, allowing construction to resume on April 6.
This latest conflict over the Ford Hall construction project shows the difficulty of balancing the college's expansion interests with those of the local community and businesses.
Laurie Fenlason, executive director of Public Affairs and College Relations, characterizes the Ford Hall construction as "a straightforward project" that "will result in significant improvements not only for Smith, but for the Cafe." Fenlason said the project "has been needlessly protracted and complicated" by the lawsuit.
John Sielski, who owns Green Street Cafe with James Dozmati, said they have been "ruined, both personally and financially" by the construction project. Sielski said Smith's actions in pursuing the Ford Hall construction are the latest in a series of actions that have "damaged [the cafe] beyond repair" and left him feeling "betrayed" after a long-time partnership with the college.
The lawsuit filed by Sielski and Dozmati specifically addressed parking and access to the cafe. Construction closed off portions of Arnold Street and shut down the parking lot behind the cafe, where the restaurant used to offer outdoor lunch service.
Judge Veilis ruled that while the cafe had sustained damage from the construction, the damage to Smith from halting the construction project would be more consequential.
As a replacement for the cafe's 16-space parking lot that has been closed, Smith has reserved 16 spaces for cafe workers and customers in the Dickinson parking lot directly across the street. Smith lots and the parking garage near the cafe are also open to the public after 5 p.m. on weekdays and all day during the weekend, Fenlason noted.
In a letter to the editor published on February 20 in the Gazette, Fenlason wrote, "The college also made voluntary improvements to the [cafe] building to mitigate noise and dust impacts, allowing the cafe to continue to offer a comfortable dining experience."
However, the cafe's business has still suffered, according to Sielski. He estimates that lunch business decreased 75 percent in two weeks.
"They took away our neighborhood," said Sielski. "They took away our parking. They took away our peace and quiet so that we couldn't use one whole side of the building during the day for the last 18 months."
Since the owners were unable to finance a protracted legal battle against the college, Sielski said they have been unable to confront Smith about the damages to their business from the Ford Hall project in the last few years.
"We've agreed to everything they've told us to do," Sielski said. "Carol Christ said for years she was going to keep us whole. The mayor made the same promise, because Green Street was important to Northampton and the Smith community. And if this is whole, I don't want to know what not being whole is."
Smith holds the lease for the cafe building. The college has marked the building as a site for possible future expansion, according to the Smith Web site, but the cafe has a lease through 2012.
In Fall 2005, Smith made a written offer to the Cafe owners to reduce the rent on the building or to pay moving costs if the owners chose to relocate, according to Fenlason's February 20 letter.
This, according to Fenlason's letter, is one of the ways Smith has attempted to work with the owners "in recognition of the fact that construction on Ford Hall ... would be disruptive."
"The Mayor's Office and the college have extended financial assistance, business counseling, and numerous accommodations to the Cafe in support of its operations," Fenlason wrote.
Sielski, however, said that the money Smith offered was not enough to start and sustain a restaurant in a new location. Construction and renovations in the Arnold Avenue area are scheduled for completion May 22. The cafe parking lot will be reopened at that time.
The Ford Hall Web site notes that Smith has less space per student than many other colleges, only 125 acres for 2,600 students, meaning that future expansion may not be slowed despite conflicts such as those with Green Street Cafe.
In the meantime, both Fenlason and Sielski acknowledged that the college and the cafe are linked.
"We have a national reputation," Sielski said. "We do a good job, and Smith has benefited from the very good job we do. We also realize we probably wouldn't be here if not for Smith."
Clare Lynch
Issue date: 4/16/09
Controversy over the construction of the new Ford Hall engineering building on Green Street was highlighted last month when the owners of the Green Street Cafe filed a lawsuit seeking to halt construction that would block access to the cafe. On April 3, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reported that Judge Peter Veilis ruled in favor of Smith College, allowing construction to resume on April 6.
This latest conflict over the Ford Hall construction project shows the difficulty of balancing the college's expansion interests with those of the local community and businesses.
Laurie Fenlason, executive director of Public Affairs and College Relations, characterizes the Ford Hall construction as "a straightforward project" that "will result in significant improvements not only for Smith, but for the Cafe." Fenlason said the project "has been needlessly protracted and complicated" by the lawsuit.
John Sielski, who owns Green Street Cafe with James Dozmati, said they have been "ruined, both personally and financially" by the construction project. Sielski said Smith's actions in pursuing the Ford Hall construction are the latest in a series of actions that have "damaged [the cafe] beyond repair" and left him feeling "betrayed" after a long-time partnership with the college.
The lawsuit filed by Sielski and Dozmati specifically addressed parking and access to the cafe. Construction closed off portions of Arnold Street and shut down the parking lot behind the cafe, where the restaurant used to offer outdoor lunch service.
Judge Veilis ruled that while the cafe had sustained damage from the construction, the damage to Smith from halting the construction project would be more consequential.
As a replacement for the cafe's 16-space parking lot that has been closed, Smith has reserved 16 spaces for cafe workers and customers in the Dickinson parking lot directly across the street. Smith lots and the parking garage near the cafe are also open to the public after 5 p.m. on weekdays and all day during the weekend, Fenlason noted.
In a letter to the editor published on February 20 in the Gazette, Fenlason wrote, "The college also made voluntary improvements to the [cafe] building to mitigate noise and dust impacts, allowing the cafe to continue to offer a comfortable dining experience."
However, the cafe's business has still suffered, according to Sielski. He estimates that lunch business decreased 75 percent in two weeks.
"They took away our neighborhood," said Sielski. "They took away our parking. They took away our peace and quiet so that we couldn't use one whole side of the building during the day for the last 18 months."
Since the owners were unable to finance a protracted legal battle against the college, Sielski said they have been unable to confront Smith about the damages to their business from the Ford Hall project in the last few years.
"We've agreed to everything they've told us to do," Sielski said. "Carol Christ said for years she was going to keep us whole. The mayor made the same promise, because Green Street was important to Northampton and the Smith community. And if this is whole, I don't want to know what not being whole is."
Smith holds the lease for the cafe building. The college has marked the building as a site for possible future expansion, according to the Smith Web site, but the cafe has a lease through 2012.
In Fall 2005, Smith made a written offer to the Cafe owners to reduce the rent on the building or to pay moving costs if the owners chose to relocate, according to Fenlason's February 20 letter.
This, according to Fenlason's letter, is one of the ways Smith has attempted to work with the owners "in recognition of the fact that construction on Ford Hall ... would be disruptive."
"The Mayor's Office and the college have extended financial assistance, business counseling, and numerous accommodations to the Cafe in support of its operations," Fenlason wrote.
Sielski, however, said that the money Smith offered was not enough to start and sustain a restaurant in a new location. Construction and renovations in the Arnold Avenue area are scheduled for completion May 22. The cafe parking lot will be reopened at that time.
The Ford Hall Web site notes that Smith has less space per student than many other colleges, only 125 acres for 2,600 students, meaning that future expansion may not be slowed despite conflicts such as those with Green Street Cafe.
In the meantime, both Fenlason and Sielski acknowledged that the college and the cafe are linked.
"We have a national reputation," Sielski said. "We do a good job, and Smith has benefited from the very good job we do. We also realize we probably wouldn't be here if not for Smith."
Friday, April 10, 2009
Letter To the Editor that the Daily Hampshire Gazette refused to run
We wanted our friends and fans to know that Carolyn Creedon sent a letter to the editor to the Daily Hampshire Gazette in support of our efforts to raise awareness in the Northampton community about Smith College's tactics in trying to hurt the Green Street Cafe. The newspaper refused to run the letter so we are providing it for your information. Please support the Green Street Cafe, a true community-oriented and socially conscious business serving our customers in the Pioneer Valley for more than 20 years.
March 13, 2009
To the Editor:
I lived in Northampton for three years while pursuing a degree at Smith, which as I recall was, at least three years ago, a liberal arts college with strong ties to the community and to its thriving cultural scene. I amassed quite a bit of student debt, but I wouldn't trade my time in Northampton or at Smith for anything. Smith's faculty and staff are deeply committed to reaching out to students and to the community, and I count many of them as influential friends to this day.
I wish I could say the same about the Smith College administration and its trampling of Green Street Cafe. My husband, Paul Andrews, worked there full time while we lived in Northampton and so it was Green Street that made it possible for me to afford to go to Smith, loans or not. I recently read Laurie Fenlason's response in your paper to Green Street's struggle to survive under the ironic heading "Smith College has tried to help cafe" (the capital letters duking it out with the non-caps didn't escape my notice). Fenlason writes, of the claim that Smith has ceased doing business with the Cafe (capital letters, thank you): "[this] will come as a surprise to many of the college's employees and departments who eat there regularly." This has a whiff of the paternalistic. Loyal customers notwithstanding, Smith has affixed its giant corporate financial spigot to run in favor of restaurants who are not blocking their behemothian engineering building-- it is that simple. The pettiness of the liquor suspensions and code violations (coincidence? no) bode well for Smith's new building, as these too seem engineered to drive Green Street Cafe into the ground, literally. These would be the same "violations" Fenlason takes pains to cite.
Jim Dozmati and John Sielski opened their hearts to me and my husband, indeed to hundreds of friends, customers, and employees in their little fine dining restaurant, which is a family endeavor in the best sense. I have seen them feed people who had no money. I have been to their garden. I was there when they said their vows. I was around when Jim and John put on a full spread of food and drink and celebration in hosting-- gratis -- a painting exhibition for one of their waiters. I have witnessed their unfailing support for culture in Northampton in so many ways. They have been doing these things since they opened the Cafe in 1990.
I can't bemoan any more the school of engineering that slouches toward Green Street to be born. That's done and done. What I need to do is beseech President Christ, whom I know to be passionate about supporting culture and the arts, to extend her hand to the Cafe in arbitration. Green Street Cafe is an institution and a family. Can't Smith College do better than all this nastiness and Goliath game-playing in service to to its good and loyal neighbor? We are talking about livelihoods here, and dreams built, and growing things, and breaking bread, and living, breathing art in all its forms.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Creedon
March 13, 2009
To the Editor:
I lived in Northampton for three years while pursuing a degree at Smith, which as I recall was, at least three years ago, a liberal arts college with strong ties to the community and to its thriving cultural scene. I amassed quite a bit of student debt, but I wouldn't trade my time in Northampton or at Smith for anything. Smith's faculty and staff are deeply committed to reaching out to students and to the community, and I count many of them as influential friends to this day.
I wish I could say the same about the Smith College administration and its trampling of Green Street Cafe. My husband, Paul Andrews, worked there full time while we lived in Northampton and so it was Green Street that made it possible for me to afford to go to Smith, loans or not. I recently read Laurie Fenlason's response in your paper to Green Street's struggle to survive under the ironic heading "Smith College has tried to help cafe" (the capital letters duking it out with the non-caps didn't escape my notice). Fenlason writes, of the claim that Smith has ceased doing business with the Cafe (capital letters, thank you): "[this] will come as a surprise to many of the college's employees and departments who eat there regularly." This has a whiff of the paternalistic. Loyal customers notwithstanding, Smith has affixed its giant corporate financial spigot to run in favor of restaurants who are not blocking their behemothian engineering building-- it is that simple. The pettiness of the liquor suspensions and code violations (coincidence? no) bode well for Smith's new building, as these too seem engineered to drive Green Street Cafe into the ground, literally. These would be the same "violations" Fenlason takes pains to cite.
Jim Dozmati and John Sielski opened their hearts to me and my husband, indeed to hundreds of friends, customers, and employees in their little fine dining restaurant, which is a family endeavor in the best sense. I have seen them feed people who had no money. I have been to their garden. I was there when they said their vows. I was around when Jim and John put on a full spread of food and drink and celebration in hosting-- gratis -- a painting exhibition for one of their waiters. I have witnessed their unfailing support for culture in Northampton in so many ways. They have been doing these things since they opened the Cafe in 1990.
I can't bemoan any more the school of engineering that slouches toward Green Street to be born. That's done and done. What I need to do is beseech President Christ, whom I know to be passionate about supporting culture and the arts, to extend her hand to the Cafe in arbitration. Green Street Cafe is an institution and a family. Can't Smith College do better than all this nastiness and Goliath game-playing in service to to its good and loyal neighbor? We are talking about livelihoods here, and dreams built, and growing things, and breaking bread, and living, breathing art in all its forms.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Creedon
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Travel + Leisure Magazine
The Green Street Café is listed as a favorite place in Massachusetts for MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. In Travel + Leisure’s March 2009 issue, she referred to it as her “home away from home.”
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
KEEPING THE GREEN STREET CAFE ALIVE
Keeping the Green Street Cafe alive
By Daily Hampshire Gazette
Created 02/16/2009 - 10:28
Becoming a cultural fixture in a community as rich in culture as Northampton is something to be proud of. It's been our life pursuit to create a place that matters and to provide an experience that people remember. And it's been an honor to serve every patron that has walked through the doors of our establishment - Green Street Cafe - since we first opened in 1990.
We have every intention of continuing to serve those patrons for many years to come. But the future of Green Street Cafe is being placed in jeopardy by a much larger and more powerful cultural institution: Smith College.
For many years, Green Street Cafe - located on the grounds of Smith - operated in a healthy partnership with the college. We developed a good business from students, faculty and staff while providing them a high-quality option for meals in a convenient location.
In addition, as our reputation grew and the creative menu and good service at Green Street Cafe became more established, we earned national recognition in publications such as Gourmet Magazine, Bon Appetit, Yankee Magazine and The New York Times. In our admittedly tiny corner of the Smith universe, we like to think we have overachieved in bringing positive attention to the campus.
Unfortunately, our contribution to the Smith College community has been received with something less than gratitude. In fact, it appears the very college with which we have worked hard to build a lasting relationship is bent on divorcing itself from Green Street Cafe - with little regard for the impact on Northampton's cultural identity, or the devastating consequences for two small business owners.
In 2004, Smith College said they would have to relocate Green Street Cafe. That same year, the college ceased doing business with the restaurant - putting an end to our work providing catered meals for college functions, hosting private parties and dinner engagements.
Two years later, Smith offered us $65,000 to relocate Green Street Cafe - far below the true moving costs of about $300,000. In 2007, as work began on the college's $100 million Ford Hall building, we were forced to close because Smith College had been lax in keeping the cafe's building up to code. The financial damage was irrevocable. And it would only be through the tremendous goodwill of our patrons, vendors and community supporters that we reopened. Loyal diners purchased $12,000 worth of pre-paid dinners. Our plumber advanced us $8,000 worth of materials and labor, while our restaurant supply house advanced us credit to replace deteriorating equipment. Our food suppliers were equally generous. Even the IRS and Massachusetts Department of Revenue were accommodating to our efforts to get back up and running.
Over the past 24 months, however, Smith College has forced us to accept a "take it or leave it" offer of $50,000 for relocation and mitigation, while so far reneging on a pledge to make repairs to our building. The amount of personal savings we have liquidated and debt we have taken on is crushing. And the terms of our lease - through 2012 - do not allow any hope for paying down those obligations.
Most recently, Smith College has tried to force us to sign agreements to turn over our 16 parking spaces and an outdoor garden dining area for the entrance to the Ford Hall project. Smith President Carol Christ has publicly promised to keep us whole, but the actions of the college tell a different story.
Indeed, it appears that the Green Street Cafe - for so long an important fixture of the Northampton dining and cultural scene - faces death from a thousand cuts by Smith College.
But this doesn't have to happen. Not if the community feels Green Street Cafe is important enough to be allowed to survive.
The issues we have with Smith can be worked out. It just requires the willingness of the college to share responsibility for resolving them.
John Sielski and James Dozmati are the owners of Green Street Cafe.
Daily Hampshire Gazette © 2008 All rights reserved
By Daily Hampshire Gazette
Created 02/16/2009 - 10:28
Becoming a cultural fixture in a community as rich in culture as Northampton is something to be proud of. It's been our life pursuit to create a place that matters and to provide an experience that people remember. And it's been an honor to serve every patron that has walked through the doors of our establishment - Green Street Cafe - since we first opened in 1990.
We have every intention of continuing to serve those patrons for many years to come. But the future of Green Street Cafe is being placed in jeopardy by a much larger and more powerful cultural institution: Smith College.
For many years, Green Street Cafe - located on the grounds of Smith - operated in a healthy partnership with the college. We developed a good business from students, faculty and staff while providing them a high-quality option for meals in a convenient location.
In addition, as our reputation grew and the creative menu and good service at Green Street Cafe became more established, we earned national recognition in publications such as Gourmet Magazine, Bon Appetit, Yankee Magazine and The New York Times. In our admittedly tiny corner of the Smith universe, we like to think we have overachieved in bringing positive attention to the campus.
Unfortunately, our contribution to the Smith College community has been received with something less than gratitude. In fact, it appears the very college with which we have worked hard to build a lasting relationship is bent on divorcing itself from Green Street Cafe - with little regard for the impact on Northampton's cultural identity, or the devastating consequences for two small business owners.
In 2004, Smith College said they would have to relocate Green Street Cafe. That same year, the college ceased doing business with the restaurant - putting an end to our work providing catered meals for college functions, hosting private parties and dinner engagements.
Two years later, Smith offered us $65,000 to relocate Green Street Cafe - far below the true moving costs of about $300,000. In 2007, as work began on the college's $100 million Ford Hall building, we were forced to close because Smith College had been lax in keeping the cafe's building up to code. The financial damage was irrevocable. And it would only be through the tremendous goodwill of our patrons, vendors and community supporters that we reopened. Loyal diners purchased $12,000 worth of pre-paid dinners. Our plumber advanced us $8,000 worth of materials and labor, while our restaurant supply house advanced us credit to replace deteriorating equipment. Our food suppliers were equally generous. Even the IRS and Massachusetts Department of Revenue were accommodating to our efforts to get back up and running.
Over the past 24 months, however, Smith College has forced us to accept a "take it or leave it" offer of $50,000 for relocation and mitigation, while so far reneging on a pledge to make repairs to our building. The amount of personal savings we have liquidated and debt we have taken on is crushing. And the terms of our lease - through 2012 - do not allow any hope for paying down those obligations.
Most recently, Smith College has tried to force us to sign agreements to turn over our 16 parking spaces and an outdoor garden dining area for the entrance to the Ford Hall project. Smith President Carol Christ has publicly promised to keep us whole, but the actions of the college tell a different story.
Indeed, it appears that the Green Street Cafe - for so long an important fixture of the Northampton dining and cultural scene - faces death from a thousand cuts by Smith College.
But this doesn't have to happen. Not if the community feels Green Street Cafe is important enough to be allowed to survive.
The issues we have with Smith can be worked out. It just requires the willingness of the college to share responsibility for resolving them.
John Sielski and James Dozmati are the owners of Green Street Cafe.
Daily Hampshire Gazette © 2008 All rights reserved
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Appeal to Friends of the Cafe
January 2009
The Green Street Cafe is offering its friends and supporters a special offer of a 10% discount by subscribing to a pre-paid dinner plan or add funds to existing accounts. John and Jim need your help to stay in business and want to thank their loyal clientele for their continued support. They want to stay in the neighborhood doing what they love to do most. For more information, contact the Green Street Cafe at 413-586-5650
The Green Street Cafe is offering its friends and supporters a special offer of a 10% discount by subscribing to a pre-paid dinner plan or add funds to existing accounts. John and Jim need your help to stay in business and want to thank their loyal clientele for their continued support. They want to stay in the neighborhood doing what they love to do most. For more information, contact the Green Street Cafe at 413-586-5650
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