ECO Crafts Coffee and Esprit de Corps in East Hampton Center

ECO Crafts Coffee and Esprit de Corps in East Hampton Center

by Erica Buehler

Winter Caplanson photos

Like something out of a storybook, a little village outside the hustle and bustle of nearby towns grows bigger every day. One by one, shopwindows come to life and doors open – literally and metaphorically – as passionate small businessowners, determined to put their village on the map, take root.

“There is an immediate sense of belonging, warm like the freshly brewed coffee drifting through the air.”

East Hampton, Connecticut isn’t traditionally known for its thriving town center. In fact, for most of the 90s and early 2000s it was quiet, save for the center’s one and only pizza shop, aptly named Main Street Pizza. Only in the last several years has the village of East Hampton begun to thrive, achieving the charm and aesthetic frequently attributed to the quaint and beautiful small towns of Connecticut.

In a seemingly predetermined (but actually coincidental) team effort, small business owners of all kinds and other East Hampton residents have come together to transform Main Street and put the village of East Hampton on the map, wildly overachieving esprit de corps and creating something wonderful and unexpected. The opening of several gift shops, food spots and specialty stores has been met with overwhelming success: the village is seeing more foot traffic, out-of-town visitors, and commerce than ever before.

One popular spot, on the corner of Main Street and neighbored by gift shops, a bakery, and a bicycle shop, is the ECO Coffee House. Hard to miss, it practically waves you inside with its various flags and, currently, Mardis-Gras-themed décor. The shop, open six days a week, welcomes anyone looking to escape the cold, do some shopping, or simply have a

really good cup of coffee. It’s become one of the most visited and talked-about shops in the village and is making a name for itself in the gourmet coffee world.

Upon entering, crafts and decorations welcome you in like an old friend. There is an immediate sense of belonging, warm like the freshly brewed coffee drifting through the air. Behind the counter is a woman, just one – the brains, the brawn, and the face of the operation: Susan Popielaski.

Popielaski isn’t the typical food entrepreneur; she’s not a 20-something with a food truck, looking for success anywhere but a 9-5. She is a wildly imaginative and industrious 50-something who got thrown a major life curveball, and made it work. Upon getting let go from her job and, around the same time, getting diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, Susan had a revelation: it was time to put her dream of owning a high-end espresso bar in motion.

Popielaski, before the coffee house, was a part-time chef with a little background in the food business. But with little money to start and having to work two part-time jobs to save, she made it a priority to do all the necessary research, budgeting,

and planning to make sure not a single detail was unaccounted for. She worked diligently for two years, even taking a trip to the Specialty Coffee Association in London for two back-to-back courses, earning her credentials as the owner and manager of her gourmet coffee shop, and emphasizing her desire to be taken seriously.

The process didn’t come without its obstacles, though; Popielaski had settled on two locations that fell through prior to the discovery of 82 Main Street, the “beautiful building” that is now home to ECO Coffee House. Upon seeing the space for the first time, Popielaski admits she “signed that day.”

On October 29, 2017, the doors of ECO Coffee House opened and the real magic began; Popielaski’s dream was finally realized. Support and success poured in from all over, with East Hamptonites eager to sample the goods of their very own highend coffee bar, and the community embracing her in a way she never imagined. “Everyone is helping each other, there’s no backstabbing,” Popielaski says of the village community. “My mantra is ‘Love where you live. Shop local.’” But there was more to Susan’s dream: she didn’t want just a great coffee shop; she wanted it to be a place of gathering and collaboration - and celebration of the extremely talented and creative people of her community who also happen to have disabilities.

Receiving her autism spectrum diagnosis was a huge eye-opener for Susan. She was suddenly acutely aware of the struggles people with disabilities face on a daily basis, and wanted to give them a space to be seen, heard, and celebrated for all that they contribute to the world. “I

want to change people’s perspectives,” she says. She’s also worked with the non-profit organization Opportunity Works CT in Rockville, which provides programs, workshops, skill training and mentoring for people with disabilities. Some of the resulting workshop art is featured in Susan’s shop.

In addition to the space around the coffee bar and register, the shop opens up to an area entirely dedicated to the handmade artwork, crafts, and wares of people with disabilities. Products range from elegant jewelry to postcard photographs, with an entire secondhand clothing section and dressing rooms in the back. As one sips her raw, organic cacao latte, she

“Behind the counter is a woman, just one – the brains, the brawn, and the face of the operation: Susan Popielaski.”

can peruse a plethora of gifts, all accompanied by photos and brief biographies of each artist, about 15 vendors total.

Popielaski also cares about her patrons’ experiences while in her shop. She enforces a fairly strict laptop-free policy, explaining that she wants her shop to be a place of “intelligence and collaboration,” where you’re “mindful of what you’re doing.” She says that, even though the shop has only been open for a little over a year, she once received “a bad review for having no WIFI. This is not a Starbucks.” Popielaski hopes to rekindle the sense of traditionalism and intimacy of independent coffee shops, where people come for good coffee, conversation with neighbors, and to appreciate the talents of the vendors she features - while fully present in ECO’s space.

“Popielaski i

s a combination of chemist and artist...”

It makes sense coming from the one-woman show who does all the ordering, managing, cleaning and exchanging with vendors herself. There’s something admirable about asking others to acknowledge the work that people put into their passions, and when you’re being served a perfectly made caramel cappuccino with a smile and good conversation, how can you disagree?

Popielaski is a combination of chemist and artist, infusing some drinks with CO2 for an extra kick and using vivid colors to entice customers to try new things, like her blue and white Butterfly Chai or her blood red Orange Hibiscus tea. She’s certainly come a long way from where she started, at first only having one available flavor to add to her custom drinks and now using all kinds of hand-crafted flavors. She’s got a sizable Instagram following at @ecocoffeehousect which is convincing enough to encourage the trip to East Hampton.

a percentage of its sales going to the ECO fund - a $3,500 grant that people with disabilities can apply for in order to continue making art.

In Popielaski’s future, there is a collaboration with shop-nextdoor Wild Roots Eclectic Home Décor, with whom she will soon be sharing a space once a connecting wall is blown out. There will be the eventual release of her craft beer, and new hours to transform ECO from a regular daytime coffeehouse to a bar. And, long-term, she says she can see herself owning her own restaurant. “It’s all about what you put into the universe,” she says. “I’m always thinking of how I can do something better.”

Breaking news: Fat Orange Cat Brew Co. just announced the opening “Dexter’s Tunes, Tales & Ales” in East Hampton’s Village center, a used book and record shop where you will be able to enjoy a pint of their beer or a cup of CT wine, shop, read, listen to music, or just chat with friends.

Soon, ECO will be pursuing the sale of craft beer, switching from a daytime organic coffeehouse to a craft brewery at night. Susan would like to have a brew on tap called the Disabled Ale, whose logo has the “dis” crossed out in a nod to the capabilities of people with disabilities. Popielaski plans to have