New business a result of recession

Bella Rose is going to be everything John Lima envisions an Italian restaurant/café should be. A cozy dining area with “ottimo cibo,” along with a comfortable corner with sofas for lovers of latte, espresso, gelato and of course, Wi-Fi, to relax with their laptops.

Lima, with his brother, Matthew as partner, didn”™t plan on creating Bella Rose quite so soon.

“It was something I always envisioned in the back of my mind,” said Lima, brushing the sweat off his brow. “We grew up in Haverstraw and I thought a lot about having a coffeehouse in the village some day.”

The recession sped the dream up when John was laid off from his marketing and advertising position and Matthew”™s teaching job was eliminated.

“It certainly seemed like it was now or never,” the brothers concurred. They are in the midst of renovating a 2,300-square-foot space on Haverstraw”™s New Main Street corridor. They”™ve kept the tin ceiling intact and repaired the brick that runs from floor to ceiling the entire length of the interior”™s west wall. “When we pulled up the existing flooring, we found a beautiful wood floor underneath it, so that”™s getting some repair work and will be refinished.”

It truly is a family affair, said John Lima, who did not disclose the cost of the renovations for the restaurant/café, but simply said, “No bank was going to take a risk. I am financing this privately with help from my family, and Matthew and I are putting in a lot of sweat equity. Our contractor, Kevin Brestolli, and the entire crew, have been very supportive. We grew up together and now we”™re working together to create a beautiful place to eat in and relax with some homemade pastries to eat while surfing the Internet.”

Bella Rose will have a 1,300-square-foot dining area, along with a separate Wi-Fi area for customers with sofas and lamps. “We are working with Coffee Lab Roasters in Tarrytown, which is creating coffee and espresso blends especially for us.” That will help to wash down the homemade Italian pastries the brothers plan to offer.

With Matthew”™s background as an English teacher, the Limas are planning to have a story hour for children and have books to bring home to encourage reading. Lima says it will be another way the Haverstraw community will get to know them ”“ and vice versa.

From antipasto to regular dinners, Bella Rose will have take out on its menu. “We are also working on our liquor license, so if someone wants some anisette in their coffee they will be able to have it. And we”™ve been working with Gateway to Entrepreneurial Tomorrows to help us with our marketing campaign and for tips on how to make our business the best.”

When the café opens in September, the first thing the brothers plan to do is Take a deep breath and keep their fingers crossed that Bella Rose “will become a destination for the community and for the entire area.”