Tree Town Café on Penfield Road in Brighton is celebrating one year in business. The family-owned coffee shop has not only added an outdoor market, but owners Jenna and Pete Morgante had to hire more staff.
Tree Town Café started the outdoor food market in late March to help locals shop for essentials like fresh produce, baked goods, meats, eggs and toilet paper. Nearly 100 percent of everything for sale is locally sourced ingredients and products from other Rochester small businesses.
"When the pandemic took place, my mother-in-law Wendy said, ‘hey what if you guys did a market.’ All the sudden we ended up talking to my cousin, a produce wholesaler at the public market, and we linked arms with a bunch of local businesses that were also struggling with their businesses shutting down, and with us still being open we thought, how can we help,” Jenna Morgante says.
"Having people be able to shop outdoors and in the fresh air and staying away from each other but still getting the things they need and bring him out to see each other,” she continues.
"We’ve been trying to come out the last couple of days and we waited for a warmer day to make it out. We got some vegetables and some bread and some fruit and we will be getting some coffee to go too,” café customer Mona Ockenden says.
"I’m so happy. My husband and I are just elated, first of all that we can help our community and we are so proud of that just our employees who are absolute rock stars but I am so proud of our local businesses that have jumped into this outdoor market. We are so proud to have their products and ours and we just created this great masterpiece and it’s been really fun," Morgante adds.
Tree Town Cafe is open Monday-Saturday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The outdoor market opens at 10:00 a.m. It's located at 745 Penfield Road in Brighton.