New Ghost Light Coffee Bar Opens at Northern Stage
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION , VT: I am here for the opening (October 9) of the new pop-up Ghost Light Coffee Bar in the Roesch Family Lobby of Northern Stage. On day one, hour two, it’s quiet, a steady trickle of customers ordering and then waiting for their chai lattes, drip coffees, and espressos, mostly to go. Me, I’m nibbling a cookie while ensconced on a chartreuse sofa (photo, below) with a side table from Northern Stage’s production of “Only Yesterday.” Mine is a comfortable little nook suitable for a cozy chat or, if flying solo, for sipping a restorative hot beverage while responding to the day’s emails (or drafting a blog post.)
My favorite detail* of the coffee bar is that it is furnished with selections from Northern Stage’s inventory of props and set pieces, each item identified by attached postcard-sized signage. You can sit on a chair while simultaneously viewing a photo of said chair in situ on the stage. Invariably, if you’ve been to Northern Stage a time or two, you’ll say to yourself or your companion, “Ah yes, I remember this end table/cafe chair.”
“We have a vision of folks doing homework, meeting for coffee, and reading, surrounded by the creative buzz of rehearsals in the theater and the physical pieces that have appeared in our sets over the years.” —Managing Director Jason Smoller, (who, coincidentally, at this moment, is himself here in the coffee bar working away on his laptop.)
Northern Stage is hoping the coffee bar will help fill the void left with the closures of both JUEL and Piecemeal Pies. Coffee is from locally-roasted Mountain Grove Coffee, pastries from King Arthur Baking Company. Free Wi-Fi. No cash—bring your cards.
Plans are to continue the coffee bar at least through November 10. Hours are Monday through Friday, 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.
*A final note: My second favorite thing about this coffee bar is its name. If you’re not familiar with the term “ghost light,” here’s an explanation of its practicalities, superstitions, and recent COVID-era symbolism.
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And in case you are wondering . . . Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.