In the space of about four weeks this summer, one address on Main Street in Cold Spring changed hands and another came back to life. Angie's Bake Shop & Cafe moved out of 116 Main St. In early August, Terra Market Cafe opened in its place. On September 2, Angie's reopened down the street at 37 Main St., in a former industrial building the owners call "The Big Yellow." The building had sat idle for decades. In between, Lucky Catskills opened at 72 Main St. in mid-August.
Count the seats and Main Street gained a lot of room. Check the posted hours and almost all of it opens Thursday through Sunday. Those are the same days the village has been fighting overflow crowds. Tuesday and Wednesday ended up with the smallest share.
The Bigger Boat at 37 Main
Angie Speranza summed up the move for The Highlands Current: "We needed a bigger boat!" She and her husband, Ken Zuidema, went from 22 seats at the old spot to 50 seats inside and 14 outside at 37 Main. The public area more than doubled, from 1,000 to 2,200 square feet.
The interior keeps some of the building's industrial past, including giant pulleys, and adds a lot of wood. The new piece is a full espresso bar, which Zuidema called "the business's shiny new object." The menu is mostly the same. Speranza said she will try to offer the cinnamon rolls, frittata and stuffed biscuits every day instead of on rotation, and soups were promised for fall.
The hours matter more than the menu. Angie's own website lists 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends, and the shop is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. That is a little different from the Thursday-through-Monday, 8-to-5 schedule the Current reported at opening. In September the couple also said they planned to open earlier for commuters heading to the train. So far the website shows an 8 a.m. start.
Who Took Over 116
The old Angie's space went to people who already know the block. Jessika Martinez and her husband, Ramiro Prolo, have run Cozy Corner at 129 Main St. for three years. Terra is their second place on Main, and Martinez described it as "something more, but something less."
Terra is the lighter option on the street. Martinez told the Current the menu is for people who want a light meal, "not a huge burger or something super heavy." Her top picks are a Mediterranean halloumi salad, a prosciutto sandwich on sourdough with fig jam, goat cheese and ricotta, and a crepe with seasonal berries. There are also toasts, bowls, smoothies, coffee and tea.
Terra seats 18 inside and eight outside, so it is a small room. It was reported open every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A Three-Location Café Passes the Village Test
Lucky Catskills is the only newcomer that started somewhere else. The first location opened in Tannersville in 2022, and a Kingston shop followed two years later. Co-owner Patty Wu said the name comes from cats being seen as a sign of good fortune in Asia.
Cold Spring has had a law on chains since February 2014. That month, the Village Board voted 4-0 to change the zoning code and ban formula, or chain, retail businesses, restaurants and drive-throughs. The final law allows small franchises with up to nine outlets. The Current's 2014 report says the trigger was a Dunkin' Donuts planned for the former Elmesco Citgo station on Chestnut Street, which one trustee called a "real wakeup call." A chain under the law means 10 or more outlets, so a three-shop Hudson Valley operator fits easily.
That rule explains who could fill the summer's openings. Every Main Street storefront that turned over went to a local couple or a small regional operator, because the code has kept larger chains off this street for 12 years.
Lucky Catskills serves a chicken rice bowl, spicy dan dan noodles, Taiwanese beef noodle soup, dumplings and ramen, plus wine, beer and sake. It seats 16 inside and 18 on the patio. In September the Current reported the café would add Mondays after Labor Day. The café's own site still lists Cold Spring hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, and closed Monday through Wednesday.
The Seat Count Against Labor Day
Here is what the street gained, using each café's most recent published hours:
| Café | Address | Seats, inside and outside | Days open |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angie's Bake Shop & Cafe | 37 Main St. | 64 | Thursday through Monday |
| Terra Market Cafe | 116 Main St. | 26 | Daily, as reported in September |
| Lucky Catskills | 72 Main St. | 34 | Thursday through Sunday |
That adds up to 124 seats across the new and expanded rooms, compared with 22 at the old Angie's. All 124 are available Thursday through Sunday. On Monday, 90 are. On Tuesday and Wednesday, only Terra's 26 are.
The busy end of the week is where the village has been under the most strain. After Labor Day weekend, Mayor Kathleen Foley told the Village Board, as The Highlands Current reported, "We got slammed this weekend; we were overwhelmed with visitors arriving by train and by car." She described lines of "50 or more" at village eateries, restaurants running out of food, and Fair Street temporarily made one-way northbound. The Current wrote that the weekend "may foreshadow what villagers can expect throughout the fall."
So the summer's added capacity mostly landed on the days with the longest lines. That makes a weekend breakfast table easier to find than it was in July.
How the Week Lays Out Now
Using the same hours, here is a typical Main Street week this fall for the three newer cafés:
- Monday: Angie's 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Terra 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. are open. Lucky Catskills is closed.
- Tuesday and Wednesday: Terra is the only one of the three open. If you want a table without waiting, these are the days to try it.
- Thursday and Friday: All three are open. Angie's closes at 4 p.m., and Lucky Catskills serves lunch and dinner until 9 p.m.
- Saturday: All three are open, and Angie's stays open until 5 p.m. This is the day visitors arrive by train and car.
- Sunday: All three are open, and Lucky Catskills closes at 8 p.m.
Monday is the one day that has two of the newer cafés open without weekend crowds. Since the September coverage, Angie's and Lucky Catskills have both posted schedules that differ from what the Current first reported. Check the latest hours before you walk down.
This Week Around Main
Other changes on the street affect getting to these cafés this fall. The village scheduled milling and paving for Monday and Tuesday, October 5 and 6, with no parking on Main Street and alternating one-lane traffic on Main and Fair during work hours. A follow-up reminder from the village set the no-parking stretch from Route 9D to just west of Fair Street. The Current's October 9 item said "much" of Main Street was repaved, and a reader comment under it described the work as patching. Either way, the crews are done.
On Lunn Terrace, work to stabilize the rock wall has closed the east sidewalk, and pedestrians are being routed along the west side. Mayor Foley told the board, according to the Current, "This is going to be really challenging through the busy fall, but it's something that we have to get through."
If you'd rather leave Main Street to the weekend visitors, a few dated plans are close by:
- Saturday mornings: The Cold Spring Farmers' Market runs at Boscobel from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Its site lists the market as every Saturday but does not give a closing date for the season.
- Saturday, October 17: Boscobel holds Fall Family Day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with harvest crafts and children's activities. Cider Night follows from 5 to 7 p.m. and features a cider made with Graft from Boscobel's orchard apples.
- Friday, October 23: Horse-O-Ween at Topfield Center Barn, 115 Stonecrop Lane, runs from 4 to 6 p.m. with costumes and trick-or-treating. Tickets are sold through Topfield Center.
Main Street turned over three storefronts this summer, and a building that sat empty for decades now seats 64 people. If you own a home in Philipstown and want to know how changes on Main Street factor into your home's value today, James J Cosenza will give you a straight, local answer. Request Your Free Home Valuation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
