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Stowe Street Cafe | VT

@stowestreetcafe

3.7K

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3044

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Local: Coffee + Food + Art = ❤
2015 - 2025

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taken in Waterbury, Vermont by @stowestreetcafe

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3 months ago

What's going on here?? 🤔

VERY GOOD THINGS!!! 🎉

Stay tuned, friends!!! ❤️
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#29stowestreet #waterburyvt #somethingnew #nextchapter #seeyousoon by @stowestreetcafe

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6 months ago

This is a really hard one to write... 💔

Letting go of something we love so much,

This place we worked so hard to build,

Weaving Local Coffee + Local Food + Local Art together with dozens of other local small business owners, farmers, makers, and producers,

Our heartfelt intention was always to create a space where everyone feels that this space is here for them,

So much more than a coffee shop or the go-to "third location" beyond home and work,

A place people come to because they know they will be welcomed warmly and treated with care, made to feel valued as community members, not just as customers,

A place where our team works hard and has fun, feeling seen and valued as exceptional humans first, and not just as employees.

"The Cafe is an amazing place.You’ve built a safe space for our community in a world that is pulling people further apart and making us fixate on our differences. You’ve shown us that community is more powerful than any of that."

So, maybe we've done what we were meant to do, and now it's time to continue showing up for our community in a different way.

We're leaning hard into faith over fear, trusting in the unknown while knowing in our gut that even more good things lay waiting on the other side of this very difficult decision.

Sometimes, even when we love something so much, we need to honor when it's time to let it go.

From the bottom of my heart,

Thank you all so much for this amazing opportunity.

Now, let's give the cafe the send off it deserves to see it out with just as much love and care as it has given all of us.

With my deepest gratitude,

Nicole ❤️
Owner & Founder
Stowe Street Cafe taken in Waterbury, Vermont by @stowestreetcafe

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10 months ago

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7 months ago

The audio says it all.. 🔊

10 years ago, I built a small business for my community. It was an expression of me, my values, and my heart, and I genuinely poured my heart into it for as long as I possibly could.

In 2025, I recognized that it was time for a new chapter and had to make the wildly difficult decision to close after our sale fell through.

Letting go was not easy, but it was right. The lessons, the personal growth, and the connections made possible by following my dream are absolute blessings that I will cherish forever. The entire experience helped shape how I am better able to show up now for myself and others; the beginning, the ending, and everything in between. 🙏

My intention was always to create a space where everyone felt welcome. My hope for the space now is the same. My wish is that whatever it was that our community loved most about our business, they will plant seeds and nurture more of wherever they can, and my commitment is to help those seeds thrive. 🌱

✨️ Our "LAST CALL: SHEDDING 2025 SALE" is this Saturday, 2/28, from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm. ✨️

A one-day-only sale of remaining furniture, fixtures, art, and gifts from the cafe, along with a few friend's amazing high-end women's clothes, cycling gear, and Patagonia outdoor apparel will be available for sale with incredible DEALS of 50% off or more.

Cash or Venmo only.

Come say hello, share a hug, and help us make space for new, wonderful things to come! ❤️

#stowestreetcafe #29stowestreet #waterburyvt #community #lastcall taken in Stowe Street Cafe by @stowestreetcafe

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8 months ago

Last week, I unexpectedly had to travel to Richmond, VA, to tend to a heavy and heartbreaking family matter. My flight arrived early, I had time to kill, and I was dreading stepping back into a place I swore I'd never return to. My jaw was clenched, and my chest was tight as I quickly made my way toward the car rental area when suddenly, I spotted a shoe shine stand.

I was surprised to see it, but I was even more surprised by how much comfort seemed to be emanating from inside. The stand itself, the presence of the man dutifully shining the shoes, and even the customer casually reading his newspaper as his black Doc Martin's were brought back to life. They all exuded a kind of warmth that pulled me in.

My own dull brown boots stained with salt from Vermont sidewalks confirmed my impulse as I sat down to wait my turn. I'd never had my shoes shined before, and I welcomed a reason to delay my fully arriving to the situation that awaited me beyond the airport.

Michael, the owner, welcomed me with a smile while assisting me up onto the booth. We effortlessly chatted a little about the news, why I was in town, and how he took over the stand from his father who started back in the 1960s, noting how shoe shining has nearly become as rare as just talking to one another the way we were.

My boots never looked better, and my heart felt lighter, too. I thanked Michael, tipped him generously, and he sent me off with his sincere wishes that things would be OK.

The rest of my trip was pretty tough. My flights home were delayed, requiring me to stay an extra night when I was desperate to return home, but it meant that I crossed paths with Michael one more time before I departed. I thanked him again, and he gently asked if things turned out alright. I just looked down and said,"No, not really." He responded by holding both of my hands in his and saying, "Well, at least you showed up, and you tried."

It is a blessing to have had Michael's kindness ease both my arrival and my departure, and I've returned home with greater appreciation for shoe shining, for kindness, and for just showing up and doing our best. And, my boots have never looked better.

#kindness taken in Richmond International Airport (RIC) by @stowestreetcafe

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8 months ago

Hello friends! ❤️

We miss you AND we're excited about new wonderful things coming to this space...soon.

That's all we can really say about that for now, but in the meantime:

You're Invited! 🎉

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SHEDDING 2025: LAST CALL SALE!!! 🐍
Saturday, 2/28
11am-2pm

A one-day-only sale of remaining furniture, fixtures, art, and gifts from the cafe, along with a few friend's amazing high-end women's clothes, cycling gear, and Patagonia outdoor apparel will be available for sale with incredible DEALS of 50% off or more.

We hope you can make it!
Cash or Venmo only.
RSVP is not required, but appreciated.

....

Help us make space for good things to come! ☀️

#stowestreetcafe #lastcall #shedding taken in Waterbury, Vermont by @stowestreetcafe

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8 months ago

"During a time of uncertainty with funding & tight budgets, your kindness & generosity will go a long way for our Senior Center! Thank you so much for all of the items you have donated to us. We will make good use of it by feeding seniors in and around our area. Sincerely, Waterbury Senior Center Staff."

Our good friend, Donnie, was a beloved regular at the cafe who lived above the Senior Center and showed us all how to remain positive and kind right up until he passed in 2024. I vowed to do my best to honor him by continuing acts of kindness whenever possible, and as a mom, I'm committed to modeling such for my kids.

So, instead of selling the remaining food inventory we had on hand, (which certainly could have helped me pay some bills), I chose instead (with Donnie in my heart) to donate to the Waterbury Area Senior Center whatever they could use.

In the big picture of all that's going on in the world, it may have been a little thing to do, but it still made a difference. And, I don't share this to highlight what I did, but to maybe remind someone else reading this that when things feel extra big and extra heavy, even a small act of kindness can help steady us while also helping someone right here in our community.

When things are big and scary, we can look for the helpers, and we can also look for ways we can help. Here's to Donnie, to kindness, and to doing what we can no matter how small, because it all makes a difference. ❤️ taken in Waterbury, Vermont by @stowestreetcafe

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9 months ago

Hi! Most of you know me. I'm Nicole, the founder (and until recently, the owner), of Stowe Street Cafe.

I can't possibly thank you enough for the incredible support you have showed us over the past 10 years, for being such an important part of this journey, and for helping us to close our doors with so much love, integrity, and sense of community. It truly feels like a full circle moment to have closed much in the way that we opened - with so much heart.

Before I opened the cafe, my career for 25+ years was in mental health. I am also a meditation teacher, and no matter what I'm up to, I am deeply committed to showing up and holding space for my community to feel safe, seen, and held.

I am embarking on my new chapter, my own certified coaching practice, @chasemountainwellness in order to help us meet ourselves and one another in this moment of tremendous change, transition, and uncertainty. For now, my calendar is already full until spring, and I'm taking this time to slowly and intentionally build community in a different way, with offerings for meditation, coaching, women's circles, and juicy collaborations forming and taking shape behind the scenes.

As I tie up loose ends from the cafe, the website will be going away, but I do plan to transition the newsletter in order to continue to stay in touch and keep this sweet little community we've created together. Obviously, anyone not on board is welcome to opt out by unsubscribing anytime.

The new website, newsletter and SubStack are currently all under construction, but for now, those of you here on IG are invited to please find and follow me over at @chasemountainwellness

Things are evolving. Stay tuned if you like. I hope you will. And even if not, please know that it has been an honor.

With gratitude,
Nicole
🙏💚✨️ by @stowestreetcafe

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9 months ago

I miss you all, and during these particularly tough times, I miss you most. The coffee + food + art were all truly so wonderful, but the community here is where the heart and the magic were. As I tie up loose ends from the cafe, the website will be going away, but I may transition the newsletter and our social media in order to stay in touch and keep this sweet little community we've created together. Or I may choose to start again from the beginning. We shall see...

Obviously, anyone not on board is welcome to unfollow or unsubcribe. Posts will be less about coffee + food + art and more about how we keep showing up for ourselves and one another, which honestly seems to be what you've resonated with most of all! Things are evolving, so stay tuned if you like. I hope you will.

Meanwhile, I've just returned from my time away at @kripalucenter for a week long silent meditation retreat. It's become my annual gift to myself, not to just escape the noise and ignore the reality of the world, but to better listen to the wisdom in the power of pausing before I judge, taking a breath before I act, and being better able to show up for the really hard stuff in a way that is still rooted in love.

20 brave souls, with unsettled hearts and minds
Finding what is true for them
In the steadyness of their breath
Meeting themselves in the moment
Just as it is
Just as they are
Without judgement
With loving, compassionate awareness
Choosing to be present
As thoughts come and go,
Choosing to return to the breath
And to themselves
Again. And again. And again.

I hope you're all hanging in there the best you can, taking care of yourselves and one another, staying rooted in love, and also taking steps to preserve, protect, and nurture the kind of communities we want to live in however you feel you can. Big breaths. Strong hearts. Finding our way through, together. taken in Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health by @stowestreetcafe

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9 months ago

Just found this as I got into my car to leave for my meditation retreat today. My daughter knows me well, and she's not afraid to speak honestly from her heart. I am one incredibly proud and lucky mama! What a beautiful send off into my week of silence, and what an absolute gift she is. Signing off with such a full heart! ❤️🙏✨️

#stowestreetcafe
#morethanacoffeeshop by @stowestreetcafe

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9 months ago

Last January, I wrote my future self a letter, to be read one year later...

The letter reminded me that I know the way. The way to take my time. The way to slow down. The way to listen to my wisdom. To follow my path. To lead from love. And, the way to continue my own healing while healing with others.

The letter thanked my future self for allowing my breath to help me hear and respond to the call of my heart. To let go of my old ways of helping others even at my own expense. To no longer need to sacrifice myself to feel safe.

Meeting myself where I hoped I'd be one year later required a lot of myself...

To look long and hard in the mirror and at my shadows. To make friends with the parts of myself that I don't love - not just to "fix" them, but to fully see them and learn from them. To embrace a wildly uncomfortable amount of discernment in my decisions, my relationships, and what I allow to be true. To set new boundaries. To let go of people who required me to play small, even if I once loved them. To let go of things that began to bring more hurt than happiness, even if they were once what I dreamed of.

None of this could have happened alone. I am so deeply grateful to those who've been by my side and in community with me this past year. It has indeed been a year that required me to shed - not just to my level of comfort - but to shed well beyond what I thought I could survive, in order to welcome what's been waiting on the other side of my fear.

Tomorrow, I leave for 7 days of retreat in silent meditation. No phone. No email. No news. Just time to settle into stillness, to notice my thoughts, to let those thoughts go, and to return to my breath.

Before I return, I will write myself another letter. And, then, I will do my very best to gently meet myself where I hope I'll be one year from now...

Lokah
Samastah
Sukhino
Bhavantu

This Sanskrit mantra translates to "may all beings everywhere be happy and free." My wish for us all for 2026 and beyond.

Happy New Year, friends! ❤️🙏
Love, Nicole by @stowestreetcafe

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10 months ago