New cafe expands Philipsburg's cool factor

Jill Gleeson

- For the CDT

Kristine Lang McDonald doesn't want Philipsburg to fret.

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1 North Front Street, the coolest business to hit my town in ages, will open. It just won’t open this month. Or, to be more precise, the cafe/used bookstore portion of the business has been delayed. The second floor of the gorgeous, historic old bank building on the corner of Front and Presqueisle is now available to rent for parties and meetings.

“We can accommodate gatherings of up to 50,” Kristine recently told me. “And we can coordinate the catering, or people can just rent the space, depending on their needs.”

The space itself is glorious — with soaring, 15-foot high ceilings, burnished hardwood floors, and rooms graced by much of the original architectural detailing.

Two masseuses, Emily Bumbarger and Davina Haponski, are also now working out of a cozy room on the second level of 1 North Front Street, offering everything from Swedish to shiatsu to sports massage. Prices start at $60 for an hour; clients can walk in Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or book appointments for other times, including weekends and Saturdays. Eventually, the women plan to offer massage classes at 1 North Front Street.

Kristine’s plan is to use the capital generated by the second floor ventures to get the one on the first going. Although she planned to open the cafe/bookstore first, like many entrepreneurs, she’s found financing difficult to secure.

It was a flyer promoting 1 North Front Street that led me to contact Kristine. The cafe sounded exactly like one I had practically lived in during my acting days in Chicago. I couldn’t believe that a place selling used books, with wireless access, offering fair trade and organic coffee and teas, and gluten-free, organic, baked goods and advertised as “a venue for local artists, musicians and writers” would open in Philipsburg.

Had I just stepped into another dimension? How, I wondered, was this possible?

It’s possible because Kristine is as cool as the business itself. She and her husband moved here from D.C. about six months ago; her mother grew up in Houtzdale, and the couple fell in love with Philipsburg while on a visit to the area. Although much of her background is in customer service and retail management, Kristine ran for state senator in California in 2004.

She’s smart, she’s funny, she’s bursting with energy and enthusiasm — and she’s very, very determined.

As befitting someone who ran for office, Kristine is also community- minded. She’s a board member of Friends of the Library, and she’ll be selling donated and used library books at her store, with 90 percent of the proceeds benefitting the Holt Memorial Library.

When she talks about her business, she talks about things like bringing jobs into Philipsburg, and how she hopes 1 North Front Street will help bring about a renaissance for the town she’s grown to love so much.

I’ll be stopping by for a massage soon — and when the café opens, I’ll be first in line. For more information, phone 342-3113 or visit 1northfrontstreet.com.

Jill Gleeson can be reached at jillgleeson@hotmail.com.