Baby cafe being developed in town

Jacob Fries, Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, N.Y.
·1 min read

Apr. 15—Amber Mason and Nicole Everett are in the process of opening a baby cafe in the town of Lockport. Their proposed business Spoons! 716, will sell baby food that's made in-house from local produce.

"I made baby food for my children," said Mason, "and I always thought it would be kind of a cute idea to have a little cafe where moms could get homemade baby food, and not have to make it themselves, and have it all made from local produce."

At this store, parents will be able to bring their babies to try the food, but usual cafe fare will also be offered. In addition, Spoons! 716 will carry baby care supplies.

Mason and Everett are setting up their business in what used to be a pizzeria at 6752 Akron Road. They recently had a $25,000 loan request approved by the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency, to assist completion of the kitchen.

"We do have our property that we're renovating currently, and we needed help with the kitchen appliances, cafe tables, and chairs," said Mason. "We need to get our kitchen up and running so that we can get our food processing license and start cooking."

Mason and Everett both were put out of work due to the Covid pandemic, so they decided to start their own business. They felt baby food was a reasonable venture, since Everett has a background in sales and Mason is a registered dietitian.

Both of them have started working again and they said it's possible they'll keep their current jobs for a while once Spoons! 716 is open.

An opening date for the baby cafe has not been determined yet.