Caffe Lena – Interview – BizInt

RRX: Who are you? What is the name of your business, and what do you make/do?

SC: I’m Sarah Craig, Executive Director of Caffe Lena. My job is creating a space in downtown Saratoga where people of all ages and walks of life come together to make and enjoy music. We offer shows, lessons, open mics, jams and more.

RRX: If you could only offer one thing, one good, one specific service, that would really show what you’re all about, what is it, and why?

SC: The heart and soul of Caffe Lena is its nationally-touring bands playing folk, bluegrass, jazz, rock, and pretty much all varieties of acoustic music. Sitting down at a live concert in our storied listening room, with the whole crowd glowing with good vibes and totally focused on a world-class artist just feet away–that’s something that can be truly transformative. There’s just something about the intimacy and pristine sound quality of Caffe Lena that helps people get the most out of the music.

RRX: What sparked your interest in starting the business you started? Was it something you were already good at? Or did you just jump in the pool nose first?

SC: Caffe Lena opened in 1960. As a grassroots organizer, I came into a well-established venue in 1995 with some experience in pulling together communities of people to make good things happen. I began applying those skills and values to Caffe Lena, building up a membership program, making more space for young children so we can pass our folk heritage forward, and increasing opportunities for local people to bring their own songs and poems and stories to the stage. Maybe you come in to play open mic, then you notice a band you love is coming, and then you join the volunteer crew, and pretty soon you’re a student in the Caffe Lena School of Music. Creating space for individuals to grow their talents, and for a community to form around music, is central to Caffe Lena’s culture. I’ve really enjoyed learning ways to cultivate that. I’ve also enjoyed getting better and better at booking, and learning how to curate a roster that will really excite people. Among the artists I’ve helped to launch are Anais Mitchell who wrote Hadestown, Sawyer Fredericks who won The Voice, and Billy Strings who is probably the hottest name in roots music these days. I’ve also been profoundly honored to present rare club appearances by Judy Collins, Doc Severinsen, Richard Thompson, Janis Ian and Josh Ritter.

RRX: What do you see as your angle? What makes you better than other people out there running a similar business?

SC: There’s no one right way to run a music venue, and any venue that has been around for a while is doing something right because it’s not an easy business. With that said, I think we excel in three areas: 1) We treat everyone who comes through the door as a friend and neighbor, and we find that rubs off on people. You share your table at Caffe Lena, which means you’re face to face with someone you’ve never met. But you both came to see the same show, and that’s a great conversation starter. It’s so different from sitting side by side in rows in a theater, trying to ignore the people next to you. 2) This is a space where history has been made. As the longest running folk music coffeehouse in the country, there’s a palpable presence of thousands of songs in those brick walls. The artists on stage play some of the best shows of their careers, because they’re standing where their heroes played. 3) We go beyond the shows to serve our community. Caffe Lena On the Road is a unique program that delivers live music to schools and senior centers, addiction recovery programs, shelters, free meal sites, and more. It’s really important not to leave anyone out because the right song at the right moment might make all the difference in someone’s life.

RRX: How has the economy affected your business? Setbacks? Any opportunities right now?

SC: When Covid hit, performing arts was the first sector ordered to close, and it was the last to reopen. Caffe Lena was very fortunate to have already been streaming shows online for several years. We had the equipment and expertise to pivot to exclusively online concert delivery on day one of the shutdown. NYS allowed us to be redesignated as a broadcast studio, which meant we became an “essential business.” We offered a live show every night all through the pandemic. It vastly expanded our presence beyond the local region and brought connection and comfort to hundreds of thousands of viewers. With that said, the pandemic was very hard on our wider sector, causing many booking agencies, venues and artists to throw in the towel. As an industry, we’ve been rebuilding our infrastructure since reopening in 2021. For Caffe Lena, this has resulted in a significant increase in jazz, global roots music and greater diversity overall. People frequently comment on the diversity and quality of our programming, and we find that first-time acts are sometimes selling out even faster than our established artists because people look to us as a place to discover great new music.

RRX: What is on the horizon for you? Any new products? Any new offerings? Let us be your sounding board!