Tazza Cafe to Open in May, With WiFi

Though coffee shop has closed its doors in Katonah for good, locals desiring a coffee and community gathering place won't have long to wait.

Tazza Cafe will open at 197 Katonah Avenue next month, according to owner James Monica. The new place will serve an array of hot and iced coffees, teas and smoothies and light cafe fare including wraps, salads and paninis.

It will also be a place with a warm atmosphere with staff trained to make customers feel welcome, said Monica, who owns and operates Tazza Cafe in four other locations: Somers, Millwood, Armonk—his first cafe—and Ridgefield, CT.

"We make that a priority in each of our locations," he said. "Even before our product, what we sell is the people who are serving." Cafe customers will also be able to take advantage of the free WiFi he plans to make available in the store.

Monica, 46, said he didn't have a firm date for the cafe's opening, which he plans for after minor renovations—mostly "cosmetic changes"—are complete. The decor will be similar to his other shops, which feature rich brown walls and wooden chairs and tables arranged to seat just under 20 customers. 

The Westchester-based coffee distributor, Barrie House, supplies Tazza's coffee, which will also be available for purchase by the pound. Some baking will take place on the premises but due to space restrictions, most of the cafe's fare will be brought in after it's made fresh daily at another location.

Tazza will fill the space occupied for long a popular hangout for locals, in the Village Commons.

Anchored by Mrs. Green's on the east side, and home to Squires on on its west side, Village Commons encompasses 32,000 square feet of retail space and is the largest commercially-owned block of space in Katonah. a Connecticut-based real estate investment trust two years ago.

A vacant space just a few doors down from Tazza's new home may also be filled in the near future, according to Linda Lacey, senior vice president and director of leasing at Urstadt Biddle. Toney Toni & the Gang, a women's clothing shop that called Village Commons home for the past 19 years, last month.

"We've had some interest from a few parties," she confirmed, though she declined to say whom. She said the company evaluates the town's landscape and searches for the right tenant mix when narrowing their search. "We are cautiously optimistic," she said about filling the storefront soon.

Meanwhile, Monica is excited about coming to Katonah.

"I know it very well," said the father of three, who grew up in Northern Westchester and now lives in Millwood. "I think the town has great charm, it's planned out very well, and we look forward to being a part of the small-town atmosphere there."