Landmark Coffee Shop Closes After 10 Years

Most of Manchester will remember the Coffee Mill Cafe as a bustling, busy restaurant and coffee house that served Manchester for 10 years.

Since 2005, The Coffee Mill Cafe has offered coffee, espresso, lattes, sandwiches, and more, with an effusive side of personal service, to the Manchester community.

The restaurant closed without much fanfare on Sunday, August 2, nearly five years after moving to the former Black Sheep Tavern building. Prior to that time, the fledgling business had occupied a building further down Main Street and on the opposite side near the bridge, and gained a bit of national notoriety in the movie, “Flipped,” that was set in a small town in the late 1950s. Several scenes of the movie were filmed in Manchester during the summer of 2009, and the Black Sheep Tavern building was featured prominently as the candy and soda shop. Another storefront in downtown Manchester was actually re-named “The Coffee Mill” for the movie set, and the sign from that building remained on display in their new location ever since, a gift from director Rob Reiner.

Although owners Pat and Dwayne Vaillencourt, and later Pat’s daughter Kellie Englund, started out by serving dinners under the auspices of the Black Sheep, Englund decided two years ago to cease dinner operations and concentrate her efforts on the daytime aspect of the business.

In early July, landlord Tom Ellis notified Englund that he was terminating her occupancy of the building. At almost the same time, an unexpected and compelling job offer came at just the right time for Englund, and after much consideration with her family, she decided to accept the new position, and close the Coffee Mill permanently rather than seek a different location.

The Coffee Mill Cafe will be missed by its many loyal patrons. Its family-centered atmosphere has been a popular place to meet for coffee with friends, an office annex, and a special lunch and breakfast spot.

Englund, too, says she will miss the multitude of friends she has made and the ongoing contact she’s had with new people who find their way to Manchester. But as she looks forward to her next adventure, she also looks back with satisfaction on her years as a local business owner.

Thanks for the memories, Coffee Mill!

A sad sight for Manchester patrons of the Coffee Mill is this now-empty storefront on Main Street.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.