Brunswick couple aims to 'mix things up' with downtown craft coffee and cocktail bar
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Connor Scott and Lainey Catalino, owners of the Abbey craft coffee and cocktail bar, set to open at 87 Maine St. in Brunswick in early December.
Brunswick couple Connor Scott and Lainey Catalino aim to “mix things up” at a downtown Brunswick craft coffee and cocktail bar they plan to open in early December.
The Abbey, as the spot will be known, will be at 87 Maine St. The Abbey is what the couple used to call their apartment.
“The idea was first introduced to our tiny apartment, and grew through the isolation of the pandemic,” Scott told Mainebiz. "After going through lockdown together, the need for community and congregation was never more palpable.”
While the couple had looked at a handful of other locations, they had their hearts set on Brunswick.
"It is a community that we know well and love dearly, and our familiarity gives us insight into the need being expressed," Catalino said. "We couldn't see our business model thriving to its full potential in any other town."
Besides coffee and cocktails, the venue will offer breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts, with an emphasis on shareable dishes.
The menu, still a work in progress, will change regularly, drawing inspiration from North Africa, the Middle East, Spain, Greece and other parts of the world with communal meals as part of their culture.
'Balance and flavor nuances'
While the original plan was for a craft cocktail bar, the couple started thinking about the similarities between cocktails and coffee when the former Little Dog Coffee Shop became available.
The Little Dog Coffee Shop closed in July after more than 15 years in business in the middle of a strike by baristas. As the owner sought a new tenant, Scott and Catalino jumped on the opportunity to lease 1,872 square feet for their first-ever hospitality venture.
They plan to have about 65 seats in the winter, with outdoor patio seating in the summer.
Why coffee and cocktails?
“We noticed that all the conversations we sparked up with people in the coffee business sounded a lot like the way we converse about bartending and local cocktails," Scott said. “Why not put in the same care and attention to detail into a cup of coffee or a cortado as you do a martini or a daiquiri? The balance and flavor nuances are so fun to play with.”
The couple, with a combined 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, aims to employ between 11 to 15 people at their business.
“We are still assembling the full team but we have some really incredible folks already on board,” Catalino said.
In the spirit of healthy competition with other downtown businesses, they are looking into the idea of hosting a “Latte Art Throwdown” with other local coffee shops as well as cocktail contests and bartending classes.
Scott says the couple expects to be busy from Day One, and particularly during the holidays.
“My first restaurant opening was on a Friday in August in a popular tourist town,” he said. “If I can make it through that, I know we can make it through this.”
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