Dragonfly Closes But New Cafe Owner Might Fill Void
There was sadness in Pleasantville last week with the sudden closure of the Dragonfly Caffe but there’s a strong possibility that coffee lovers will soon have a new gathering spot to call their own.The Dragonfly, a popular Wheeler Avenue hangout for teenagers and artists, closed on Friday after nearly a decade in business.
“After 10 years of doing this, it’s time for me to take a personal change in my own endeavors,” said owner Bridget Couto, a Chappaqua resident.
However, the storefront may not stay vacant for long. Michael Grant, owner of The Black Cow Coffee Company in Croton-on-Hudson, a similar type cafe, is in discussion with Cuoto to take over the business and open a second location in place of the Dragonfly.
“We looked at it (last) weekend. We are meeting with the previous owners,” Grant told The Examiner. “We are pretty excited about the possibility. Nothing is signed yet. This would be our second location. Nothing is definite. I just talked to them on Friday. ”
Grant gave no timetable when a decision could be made.
Couto said it didn’t make sense for her to continue running the coffee shop and that she would miss her customers the most.
“I did not want it to close,” Couto said. “The community really relied on it. It was a gathering spot. It’s a great spot. We hate to see it gone. Our customers were wonderful, loyal and supportive.”
Although Cuoto stopped short of citing the increased competition, Dragonfly faced a steep challenge when Starbucks opened on Memorial Plaza in 2007. The next year, Dunkin’ Donuts opened a second store in the village, on the corner of Washington Avenue and Manville Road, making it even tougher for the independently owned store to survive.
“They certainly didn’t make it easier to keep a business going,” Couto said. “It was a choice I made. I didn’t feel it was worthwhile for me to keep going forward.”
While Dragonfly’s closure caught people by surprise, Couto said she had known they were going to make changes in the last year. She said she hasn’t settled on what she is going to do next.
Friday was an emotional day at the Dragonfly, with customers coming in to bid farewell to their favorite spot. Couto said many customers were crying, and a lot of former employees returned to say goodbye. She said she feels for the teenagers that made Dragonfly a popular after-school hangout.
“There are so few places for them to go,” Couto said. “This was their first hangout, it was where they met their friends.”
While Dragonfly is closing, Couto will be selling items from the store this week on Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This will also give people a chance to say goodbye.
“I’d rather sell off these items than store it,” Couto said. “Some people need to walk back in and have closure. I’m surprised how many people brought their kids in to say goodbye. They had to have a last day.”
The Dragonfly’s closing shocked customers. Pleasantville resident Edward Goralski, a regular patron, said a lot of people used the Dragonfly as a meeting place or a social gathering spot.
“The Dragonfly appealed to people who were looking for the non-chain coffee experience,” Goralski said. “I frequented it numerous times. I guess I should’ve done it more.”
Goralski said every time he visited, he always recognized someone. He said he had neighbors who moved away from Pleasantville, but still came back to get their coffee. “It’s going to be missed by a lot of people in the village,” Goralski said.
Pleasantville Chamber of Commerce President William Flooks also said he was shocked by the news, but suggested that having Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts nearby was likely too much competition.
“Dragonfly has been a fixture in the village for a long time,” Flooks said. “I’m sad to see them go.”
Like many Pleasantville residents, Couto shares a similar concern.
“I’m concerned about where I’m going to go for my cup of coffee,” Couto said. “I can’t make it the same way when I’m at home.”
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.