Here’s Our Story
Our Story
27 years ago, our Broad St. property which was the Colonial Pharmacy was purchased from Nick and Agnes Anzelmo. My hope was that one day we would own our own business in the storefront, until then we would rent the space out. We were very fortunate to have had tenants in the storefront for a majority of the 27 years, however, now was our time to get creative and I felt confident that the time was right to make the move. As I was preparing for retirement, I knew that I would need something to keep me busy, but that something had to be something that could be managed without overtaking my free time. Brian and I have enjoyed being successful landlords for over 25 years so I was thinking what can I do with our storefront that could not only be a rental, but a space to be enjoyed by all.
Our Story!
A place a family could go for their celebrations that felt like home. A place that residents could visit for a fresh dessert, to listen to music or just to gather to chat. A steppingstone for a young entrepreneur to begin their dream of possibly owning their own business. With all of these ideas, Broad & Maple was born. I knew that it was going to be a huge investment, but one that after crunching the numbers, would be a successful adventure. Next step was to convince Brian that we could do this. He wasn’t convinced at first, but when I showed him different scenarios of the rental opportunities and after much discussion, he agreed, and the planning began. The first step was to prepare the storefront for a complete renovation. We had our first demolition day in June 2019 with everyone in the family participating.
It was a great day full of excitement, knowing that this was the beginning of my dream to own our own business. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. The renovation was extensive, installation of fire rated ceilings, brand new HVAC system, two large support beams in the basement, additional plumbing and electricity, new walls, floor, doors, two restrooms and a commercial kitchen. Overall, the planning and renovation went very smoothly and took a little over two years thanks to Covid hitting us in 2020. In hindsight, we needed that time in order to do things right. Through the support and guidance of many family members, friends & professionals we did it right and in October 2021 we celebrated the opening of Broad & Maple. It is an exciting time!
-Lisa
Painting by Bernadette Perry
A place a family could go for their celebrations that felt like home. A place that residents could visit for a fresh dessert, to listen to music or just to gather to chat. A steppingstone for a young entrepreneur to begin their dream of possibly owning their own business. With all of these ideas, Broad & Maple was born. I knew that it was going to be a huge investment, but one that after crunching the numbers, would be a successful adventure. Next step was to convince Brian that we could do this. He wasn’t convinced at first, but when I showed him different scenarios of the rental opportunities and after much discussion, he agreed, and the planning began. The first step was to prepare the storefront for a complete renovation. We had our first demolition day in June 2019 with everyone in the family participating.
It was a great day full of excitement, knowing that this was the beginning of my dream to own our own business. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. The renovation was extensive, installation of fire rated ceilings, brand new HVAC system, two large support beams in the basement, additional plumbing and electricity, new walls, floor, doors, two restrooms and a commercial kitchen. Overall, the planning and renovation went very smoothly and took a little over two years thanks to Covid hitting us in 2020. In hindsight, we needed that time in order to do things right. Through the support and guidance of many family members, friends & professionals we did it right and in October 2021 we celebrated the opening of Broad & Maple. It is an exciting time!
-Lisa
Painting by Bernadette Perry