Restaurant Review

Cafe Holli brings coffee, crêpes, and connection to the Berkshires
One day, as Holli Stanton was driving home from work at the Bistro Box in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, she noticed that a golden yellow building, previously Flying Church Coffee House at 200 Main Street, was available for rent. Holli had been working at another coffee shop for years, and she decided to begin thinking seriously about renting a spot of her own. After looking into the property, she signed a lease the next day. “I had been looking into options because I really had a vision for what I wanted in a coffee shop,” Holli explains.
Holli’s history in the industry
When it comes to cafes, Holli has had tons of experience. In fact, she went to a boarding school with a strong culinary program and would work events during the summer. From weddings to bar mitzvahs, Holli says, “I got an early start working in kitchens and catering higher-end events.”
She remembers one day in the early 2000s when she went into Great Barrington’s SoCo Creamery, and Robert Robles, now the owner of Roberto’s Pizza in Sheffield, Massachusetts, made her a coffee decorated with a beautiful floral design on top. This interaction was particularly memorable because of how it inspired her. “That was that,” she remembers. “That was a really pivotal moment; I knew that was what I wanted to do.”
Since then, she’s worked at plenty of familiar local spots in addition to the Bistro Box, including Main Street Cafe in Stockbridge and Fuel in Great Barrington. “I like the environment of working in restaurants. It’s always family-oriented – you become like a big family. The early morning coffee and lunch spot is my favorite vibe that I’ve worked in.”

All photos courtesy of Cafe Holli.
All about the cafe’s offerings
On September 28, 2024, Holli opened Cafe Holli, a bright yellow gem nestled right on Great Barrington’s Main Street, adorned with a seasonal array of flowers and plants. Inside, the pastel-pink atmosphere is warm and inviting, with two cozy tables in the right-hand corner and the drinks menu and counter to the left.
For drinks, Cafe Holli offers a delicious array of coffee classics, including lattes, americanos, café au laits, chai lattes, iced coffees, cappuccinos, espressos, flat whites, and cortados. They also provide a ton of delightful, non-coffee options, like hot chocolate, tea, iced tea, and lemonade.
What really stands out about this shop is that alongside their wonderful drink selection, their food menu is full of scrumptious crêpe flavors! My personal favorites are the Nutella with mixed berries crêpe and the “Getting Figgy With It,” a turkey, brie, caramelized onion, and fig-spread crêpe.
There are truly tons of variations to choose from with equally enjoyable – and quite funny – names, like the “Scotty Doesn’t Know,” a turkey, ham, scrambled egg, and Swiss cheese crêpe with maple syrup and powdered sugar, or the “Roast Malone,” a sauteed mushroom, onion, spinach, and roasted butternut squash crêpe. There are also more simple options, like the “Crêpe Barrington,” a scrambled egg, bacon, cheddar, and chive crêpe or a plain crêpe with butter, powdered sugar, or lemon sugar.
If crêpes aren’t your thing, or you’re looking for a more grab-and-go option, their menu also has a selection of gluten-free oatmeal and fruit and yogurt bowls. The “Big Bruce” and “Little Bruce” are egg and cheese sandwich options on an English muffin with your choice of bacon, sausage, or ham.
Navigating a new business
Holli notes that they’ve had to streamline their menu choices since opening. This is partly because of space limitations: although they have plenty of outdoor tables, it’s been an adjustment figuring out how to expand and accommodate all customers effectively with only two indoor tables. However, she says, “as we’re figuring out the space, we’re adding to what we do. We just added frappes to the menu, and we’re starting to serve soup as well.”
With quicker breakfast options like bowls and sandwiches, as well as drip coffee and an opening time of 6:30am Monday through Saturday, Holli points out that she wants to offer a go-to spot for workers on their early morning commute. “I’m really aiming to get working people into the shop. There’s nothing around here open before 7 that isn’t a corporate chain,” she explains.
Having plenty of parking behind the cafe, and a lot of on-street parking out front, has been incredibly helpful to draw in customers, too. “Sometimes I would hear that if people couldn’t find parking at a coffee shop, then they wouldn’t stop,” says Holli.
While she acknowledges that the biggest challenge so far has been adapting to and growing despite the small physical space, she also notes it was a learning curve becoming a business owner. Fortunately, Holli has had the support of friends and community members throughout the process of launching the cafe, and she highlights that Robert Robles gave her deals on necessary equipment for the shop.
Eventually, Holli would love to expand the cafe in some capacity, perhaps through a different location and new concept if the right opportunity comes around. “I’m always open to a bigger space if it’s the right space, but I have a lot of really great benefits where I am,” she acknowledges.
Diving into this new endeavor, figuring out the work-home balance has been a crucial learning experience for Holli. As a single parent with two young sons, she’s had to ensure that she manages her responsibilities effectively. “I’m a barista and I’m a baker, but I’m not a business person,” she admits. “The business end was challenging for me. But I am figuring it out, and I am doing it.”
To anyone who is looking to embark on a similar venture, Holli recommends soaking it all in as you work in the industry and paying attention to your individual growth. “I did soak it all in, but I wish I had known to be more thoughtful. I’ve learned from so many people in the industry. It’s always important to keep learning and growing.”
Holli insists that it doesn’t matter where you start: so long as you seek new opportunities and focus on learning, anything is possible. “You can be a dishwasher, busboy, or barista, and you can grow. You don’t necessarily have to go to culinary school or have a business degree. If you want to, you can make it happen.”
Meaningful community connections
To Holli, the hard work has definitely been worth it. She shares that one of the most fun things about starting the cafe has been reconnecting with all the customers and regulars she used to serve. Thinking back to last year, she recalls, “I kind of disappeared at the end of January. I didn’t have a chance to tell people what I was doing and where I was going – I didn’t really know at that point.”
But now, Holli has found it truly exciting to share her very own concept for a coffee shop with the community. “Being able to show people what I’ve been working on and what I’ve built for them really has been rewarding,” she muses. “This is why I do this: the community and appreciation for the ritual of the morning routine.”
Holli is especially fulfilled when she interacts with people as one of their first points of contact in the morning. “We’re the first person someone lands on in the morning. They might have had something wonderful or terrible happen, but you see them and you take care of them as they get ready for work. We try to help them have a positive, productive day. We know it feels good to be seen and taken care of,” she illustrates.
Caring for customers and going above and beyond in doing so lies at the core of Cafe Holli’s purpose. “It’s everything in a coffee shop,” says Holli. And even the seemingly small gestures add up. “Especially in a small town, mom-and-pop shop, customers come back because you remember their favorite drink or their favorite snack. They come in with their friends, and you get their table ready.”
Even the cafe’s offerings have a local slant to ensure the shop can uplift other businesses in the area while using great products, from Barrington Coffee Roasting Company coffee to High Lawn Farm milk. Cafe Holli also hosts the Los Lopez Taco Truck every weekend, and Holli hopes to take advantage of her great parking space to host a food truck show in the future!
This close-knit atmosphere and the creation of a local meeting place couldn’t be more significant to Holli both on a business and personal level. Since she didn’t always have a strong sense of family and community growing up, she has always searched for that in her life. “I’ve definitely fostered it here,” Holli remarks. “I think I work about three days of the year. The rest is all love.”
Cafe Holli is located at 200 Main St. in Great Barrington, MA. The cafe is open Monday through Saturday from 6:30am to 2:30pm, and Sunday from 8am to 2:30pm. You can get in contact via email at cafeholli@gmail.com or by phone at (413) 645-3194. Support Cafe Holli on Facebook, and follow them on Instagram @cafeholli.