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George and Jennifer Skala have long dreamed of opening their own cafe.
Since the pair first met while studying at University of Maine at Machias, they have wanted to open a relaxing, communal space like the university’s coffee house or the former Left Bank Bakery & Cafe in Blue Hill.
Now they’ve done so with Bucks Cafe, a new business they opened at 186 Main St. in Stockton Springs.
While other Waldo County communities, including Belfast and Searsport, have welcomed a series of new eateries in recent years, Bucks stands out for bringing a new dining destination to a less commercial stretch of the Route 1 corridor. The Skalas also said their inviting spirit and ability to host impromptu events will set their business apart in the region.
They named it after their son George’s dog, a St. Bernard, who is the mascot for the operation and was himself named after the protagonist in Jack London’s book “The Call of the Wild.” It’s been open for just over a week.
“It’s been a labor of love,” said Jennifer Skala, who is a teacher and assistant librarian at Bucksport High School. George Skala is a chiropractor.
The business now has a short menu that includes coffee, tea, smoothies, blended juices and breakfast staples such as avocado toast, bagels and sandwiches. It includes organic options and Maine-based food sources.
Their fresh juices incorporate ingredients such as beets and spinach. At harvest time, they plan on partnering with King Hill Farm in Orland, which they said is known for its root vegetables.
The cafe also features a large, open floor with a small stage on which they eventually plan to have live musicians play. They hope the cafe will become a community gathering space centered around art and music, in the vein of those cafes they enjoyed during their college years.
All live music will be acoustic. A longtime musician himself, George Skala plans to perform for his patrons from time to time and invite others to play, if they’d like.
“I’ve been in a lot of bands, but this is more like the old hootenanny, where they used to have, like in the ’60s, the Beats used to hang out and read poetry, and they’d pass a guitar around, sit on the floor, and whoever had the guitar would stand up and play for everybody,” he said.
They also hope to hold other types of events, such as slam poetry, literary readings and presentations on health and nutrition. Art pieces will adorn the now-bare walls by mid-autumn — another key component to their envisioned environment.
“I feel like I’m doing this for the kids. They need to see what just good, healthy, wholesome fun is. That’s probably the most important thing; give them a place where they can express themselves,” George Skala said. “We’re all attached to our phones. I would be really happy if people just got more visceral and hung out here without being inundated with the rest of the world.”
For now, the cafe is open 7:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. every weekday except for Tuesday — when it’s closed — and 8:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Saturday. Those hours could change as they hire new staff and evolve.
