Business & Tech

Celebrating 18 Years as "The Best Coffee in Town"

A local Newton Highlands coffee shop celebrated its 18th anniversary last week.

Newton Highlands locals may notice something a bit different about the stop sign at the corner of Floral and Walnut Streets.

The new addition, a small “18 Years!” sign, recognizes a special anniversary for the coffee shop next to the intersection, . The cozy Newton Highlands cafe hit the 18-year mark last Tuesday, May 1, and celebrated the anniversary with the new addition to the stop sign, just below their “Best Coffee in Town” marker. 

And while the "18 Years" sign is small, it marks a big milestone for Coffee Corner, says owner Danielle Kalfon.

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Kalfon says she always tries to recognize the May 1 anniversary, but every couple of years she plans something a little special to celebrate.

Four years ago, Kalfon says she and former owner Pete Murphy attended a Red Sox game where Kalfon had a special message displayed on the big screen recognizing Coffee Corner's 14th anniversary. 

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For the 10th anniversary, Kalfon had a special glass award made (it still sits on the windowsill) and printed up a fake Boston Herald article to present to Murphy, who is a regular face in the coffee shop and still consults with Kalfon on some Coffee Corner operations. 

Over the last 18 years, Kalfon says a lot has changed at the shop -- from the decor to the food on the menu. Eighteen years ago, customers would find a much smaller selection of pastries, and a small cardboard menu with "sandwiches you'd never see in here now," she says.

As Kalfon , Coffee Corner serves more than just coffee and breakfast pastries; the small shop boasts a full menu of wraps, salads, smoothies and fresh-made juices. Many of the snacks that fill the countertop are items Kalfon finds at local food shows, or just while perusing the aisles in the grocery store. 

Kalfon says the shop's clientele has also changed and grown over the years; Coffee Corner has a wide-range of customers coming from different walks of life and economic backgrounds, she says.

Those customers, Kalfon says, are what keep her going on 11-hour days, and of course, they're what keep the neighborhood coffee shop so successful 18 years after it first opened its doors.


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