A miracle for Eastenders
Best Western rescues beloved coffee shop, makes space in hotel
By Michael White

The owners of Eastenders Coffee House in downtown Riverhead, scheduled to close in two weeks, had not even begun packing equipment or taking instruments from the cafe walls.

"You guys don't look like you're closing," patrons would remark.

They were waiting for a miracle, owners Diane and Lindsay Reeve would explain.

Last week, they got it.

The Reeves, who have run the beloved East Main Street coffeehouse in the beleaguered downtown since 2002, have agreed to reopen their business 3.4 miles up the road on West Main Street, in the Best Western East End.

And they couldn't be happier.

"The hotel wants Eastenders as we know it and then some," said Mr. Reeve, a town employee. "This is giving us a renewed energy. We were energetic for the first few years, but it kind of got beaten out of us. So this is a revival. We're kind of going to rise from the ashes."

The new Eastenders will be built in a dining room at the hotel. It's being fashioned after the existing cafe -- with the help of a hotel-hired interior decorator. One wall in the room is composed almost entirely of windows and opens to a patio, courtyard and pool area. The coffeehouse will still feature regular live musical acts. Unlike the downtown location, hot food and alcohol will be available from the adjoining North Fork Bar and Grill.

"You want some Baileys in your coffee?" 54-year-old Mr. Reeve, of Flanders, said with a smile. "Not a problem."

The Reeves were planning to close their downtown business for good at the end of February. When news spread of the coffeehouse and music venue's demise, they said, scores of disappointed patrons and musicians left business cards with the couple, offering help in some way or another. One of those business cards read Rob Salvatico, Senior Vice President of Operations, Best Western East End.

With some persistence, Mr. Salvatico and the Reeves finally spoke seriously about a possible move west. The Reeves were cautious. But when Ms. Reeve finally mentioned that she wasn't sure where she would put the espresso maker, Mr. Salvatico and the rest of the management team at Best Western knew they had her.

"I think having a partnership with somebody like Eastenders is a win-win," said Mr. Salvatico, noting the coffeehouse fits into the hotel business model, which includes "big plans" for the future.

"Here we have the opportunity to get away from generic hotel coffee and go to some of the best coffee around," he continued. "Our guests win, and hopefully Riverhead wins because it won't lose a business that's been identified with Riverhead for so long."

The Reeves consulted with the interior decorator and began taking measurements this week for the move. They hope to take a week off before reopening sometime in March or early April.

Not divulging the details of the business arrangement, Mr. Reeve said the Best Western team is being extremely generous with the Reeves. The couple is being treated like family, he said.

"We do consider them our extended family," he said. "They're excited and open to all of our ideas. I think it's a lesson for all small business owners; you never know who your customers are."

"I was looking for my miracle in the form of an anonymous donor," Ms. Reeve said of the last few months overseeing the dying business, just the latest on an emptying Main Street. "I was checking the mail, meanwhile my miracle was right in front of me."

As Ms. Reeve spoke at Eastenders Monday, one customer plucked at an acoustic guitar while another was busy preparing a colorfully drawn name tag, which she then stuck onto Ms. Reeve's sweater.

It read: "Good things really do happen to good people."

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