The Merrick Library Coffee Bar Followed a Crowd That Was Already There

"It's not like we got the coffee bar now; they're staying here longer," Christina Bonfiglio-Scali, the Merrick Public Library's head of community engagement, told the Herald in August. "It was vice versa. We noticed they're staying here longer, and we got the coffee bar to accommodate them."

That order of events explains the counter that opened Aug. 11 at 2279 Merrick Avenue. The library didn't use coffee to bring people in. It added coffee after the building had already become a weekday workplace for remote workers, students and community members who stay for hours. Its schedule, its staffing and the fall calendar around it all point to the same thing.

A Workday Building Before It Had Espresso

Bonfiglio-Scali traces the change to the years after COVID. "We realized that the way people use the library has really changed, especially since after COVID, and there's a lot of people working remote," she said. "We're seeing students, we're seeing remote workers and community members spending several hours here rather than simply stopping in to borrow a book."

The library spent the past few years preparing for those longer visits. It added quiet pods, comfortable seating and spaces set up for work and study. Coffee was the next step. Director Dan Chuzmir told Greater Long Island the old vending area "seemed to me like it was an underutilized area" with "a lot of potential to be something more than just a place to get bottled drinks." The bar sits where a water fountain and two vending machines used to be.

Chuzmir described the goal as serving people already in the building. "We wanted to provide a better experience for people who were coming to spend time here, whether it was to work, use our programs or just read," he said. Bonfiglio-Scali was more direct. "Our target audience are people who are already here in the library," she said. "They were here before the coffee bar. They'll be here after the coffee bar."

According to Bonfiglio-Scali, Merrick is one of only a small number of Long Island libraries with a coffee bar.

The Hours Match the Workday

The posted schedule is short:

• Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Closed Saturday and Sunday

Those are workday hours. The bar is open while someone sits in a quiet pod on a video call, or while a student spends a free afternoon with a laptop. It closes before most of the library's evening programs begin and stays dark on weekends. Bonfiglio-Scali said the library hopes the bar will pay for itself and stay "for the long term." To do that, it needs to sell to the people who already come every weekday.

One Barista, Long Island Beans

Gina Noto is the bar's only employee. She spent eight years at Massapequa Perk before seeing an Indeed listing for a civil service barista job. "I said, 'Wow, this seems too good to be true,'" she told Greater Long Island. She described the job as acting like an owner and decision maker "without all the responsibilities that come with owning a shop."

The supply chain stays on the Island. Coffee comes from Flux Coffee in Farmingdale and tea from SerendipiTea in Manhasset. "Keeping it local and supporting local businesses on the Island was very important to us," Chuzmir said.

The menu holds up against a neighborhood café. Signature drinks include a crème brûlée latte, a white mocha raspberry cream cold brew and a brown sugar honey cortado. Noto said cold brews, iced lattes and anything with matcha have sold best so far. She has also added refreshers, lemonade and hot chocolate for younger customers. The cold brew is a slow-drip recipe that Noto describes as highly caffeinated. That suits someone planning to stay until mid-afternoon.

The pace is different from her old job. At Massapequa Perk, she said, the lines sometimes went out the door. At the library, "I am able to give each customer even more time," she said, describing "a little bit more of an intimate experience." She already has regulars, and in August she said she expected the bar could become especially useful for students once the school year began.

The Fall Calendar Runs on Two Shifts

The fall schedule shows the building working two shifts. Some programs fall within the bar's daytime hours. Most of the larger ones happen in the evening or on Sunday, after the counter closes. Here is what the Merrick Library has posted from now through mid-November:

• "Out of Rushmore's Shadow: The Luigi Del Bianco Story," Thursday, Oct. 1, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Lou Del Bianco talks about his grandfather, the chief carver on Mount Rushmore.
• "Black & White Friday Frights," starting with Invasion of the Body Snatchers on Friday, Oct. 2, 1 to 2:30 p.m. This is the first of five October Friday horror screenings, and it runs while the coffee bar is open.
• Touch A Truck '26, Saturday, Oct. 3, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the Curé of Ars Church and library Narwood Avenue parking lots. The library lists more than 50 vehicles, and no registration is required.
• Town tax forum, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Hempstead Town Receiver of Taxes Jeanine Driscoll will cover property tax exemptions and discounts.
• "Uncommon Tunes: The Kora," Wednesday, Nov. 4, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sean Gaskell plays the 21-string West African harp and talks about its musical traditions.
• Blake Grossman's "Grossman World," Thursday, Nov. 5, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Grossman discusses his Long Island content and local stories.
• "Merrick Sounds: Vagabond Heart with Rosemary Loar," Sunday, Nov. 8, 2 to 3 p.m. This family-friendly jazz set covers samba, swing and Broadway, with songs in five languages.
• Shiloh Piano and Cello Duo, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., playing film scores.
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone immersive screening, Friday, Nov. 13, 5:15 to 8:30 p.m. The evening includes themed crafts, wand-making, a Hogwarts sorting quiz and nonalcoholic Butterbeer.

Friday Frights is the only program here inside the bar's hours. The rest begin after 5 p.m. or on a weekend, so the coffee is mostly for the daytime crowd. The Herald's coverage describes that crowd as remote workers and students.

North Merrick Is Giving Up Space This Fall

The North Merrick Public Library is losing room space this fall. Its September newsletter announced a full Children's Room renovation and told patrons to "expect some disruptions to our services and programs as work gets underway." June board minutes listed Sept. 14 as a tentative construction start after the bid award. They named Director Jacqueline Perez, architect Kathleen Sowle of Lothrop Associates, and project managers Nick Amoruso and Tony Campanella of SCC as part of the project. Neither the minutes nor the newsletter gives a completion date.

The calendar already shows the effects. Toddler Storytime for ages 18 months to 3 years was set for Oct. 1, 15 and 29. It now carries a notice in capital letters: "DUE TO CONSTRUCTION WE UNFORTUNATELY NEED TO CANCEL THIS CLASS." Sit and Be Fit has moved to Zoom because of construction in a meeting room.

Several North Merrick programs are still on the fall calendar:

1. TEEN: Spooky Sushi, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 7 to 8 p.m. Teens make Halloween-themed candy sushi and compete for prizes.
2. Social Security Workshop, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., in the North Merrick Community Room.
3. Halloween Storytime and Parade, Friday, Oct. 30, 11 a.m. to noon, in the Community Room. Children up to age 5 can come in costume for stories and trick-or-treating through the building.
4. Sunday Concert: The Traditions, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2 to 3:15 p.m.
5. Community Composting Counts: Pumpkin Smash, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2 to 4 p.m., at the Outdoor Pavilion. Bring pumpkins and gourds for composting.
6. Coin Seminar, Monday, Nov. 16, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Numismatics expert Jeff Berkoff covers coin and precious-metal markets and takes questions.

The two libraries are moving in opposite directions this fall. Merrick is adding services to rooms already in heavy use. North Merrick is rebuilding its Children's Room and shifting or canceling programs while the work goes on. Nov. 8 shows the overlap. At 2 p.m., Rosemary Loar performs at Merrick, The Traditions play at North Merrick, and the Pumpkin Smash runs outside under the North Merrick pavilion.

Library calendars change. Check each library's online calendar before you go, especially North Merrick's while construction continues.

What the Coffee Bar Adds

Merrick's library has had the same patrons all along. The building now serves them differently. A day there means a quiet pod in the morning and a slow-drip cold brew from Gina Noto around noon. The bar closes at 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and at 3 p.m. on Friday. Most of the fall's evening programs start at 6:30 p.m.

Robyn Goldowski watches the small changes on Merrick Avenue, like a library counter that replaced two vending machines, because they shape what daily life near a home feels like. If you live near the library and want to know where your home stands this fall, start with an instant home valuation. Robyn will add the local context.