A bright yellow beacon in the heart of our village, Bunbury’s Coffee Shop attracts locals, pedestrians, and cyclists alike with its delicious coffee and famous muffins. Bunbury’s exudes a warmth and coziness, welcoming people of all kinds and all ages. Some come to set up with their laptop to work, others come to linger with friends over a cup of coffee, and of course, cyclists flock from the city with Piermont as their destination.
While Bunbury’s first opened in 2003, the current owner, Debbie Pirsos, bought the shop from the original owners in 2018. In fact, Debbie had been one of those very same patrons who would often visit Bunbury’s. “My friends and I used to come to Piermont on the weekends. We’d get coffee and a Bunbury muffin, then go for a walk.” At one point in her marketing and public relations career, Debbie had been the director of communications at the Academy of the Holy Angels. When her late husband got sick, she worked as a consultant from home, while managing to also take care of her three growing kids and support her husband through his treatment. Although Debbie had never worked in the food industry before, she said, “I always wanted to do something like my grandfather did.” In the 1950s he owned a neighborhood ice cream parlor in Ridgefield, New Jersey named The Ho-Maid, where the local community would often gather.
In 2017, Debbie’s daughter Sofia started working at Bunbury’s. Later that year, Sofia came home from work one day and told her mother the owners were looking to sell. Debbie saw it as an opportunity and jumped at the chance. She thought this would be a great place where her whole family could be together and work. Her sons Christopher and Alex worked the coffee bar, and Alex’s wife, Sydney, joined in the kitchen, preparing the baked goods. Debbie also brought in another baker, Joan, and with her nephew Rob as a guest barista, she was able to fulfill her dream of establishing a family-run business.
When Covid hit, she closed for 4-6 weeks. However, as Debbie reflected, “I rise to challenges and work well under pressure,” so she was able to figure out how to reopen and do it safely, by moving the counter up to the front of the shop and serving patrons right at the door. “We became a place where people wanted to come again,” and there was tremendous support from the community to keep the shop open.
Bunbury’s loyal followers keep coming back to the shop, because, in addition to coffee, the place offers genuine warmth, openness and optimism — no wonder, as these qualities are a true reflection of who Debbie is. “We try to remember people’s names, and we know their drinks. And when someone leaves and says, ‘Bye Debbie,’ I feel like I could walk them to the door. It’s like this place is my home.”
Bunbury’s is also an artistic place where every month, there’s a different artist whose work is featured on the wall. In 2020, Debbie expanded the creative arm of the shop by launching Bunbury’s Books to help authors publish their own books. She herself has written four books, three of them for children, and will be featured as a local guest author at the Piermont Library’s Story and Craft event on Thursday, January 25.
As I was writing this piece, I found that I kept coming back to the shop, because not only are their chocolate chip cookies and brownies the best I’ve ever tasted, but they also serve them with a friendly smile and know your name. The warmth that you feel comes from the delicious food and coffee, as well as knowing that the people who prepare them are genuine and caring. If you haven’t already, step inside Bunbury’s — you’ll get hooked too.
~By Shauna Wennerod
Support the Piermont Library by bidding on this unique opportunity offered by Bunbury’s Coffee Shop:
- Go behind the scenes and learn how to be a “European-style” barista for a day. You will be trained on how to use the coffee bar machinery to make espresso drinks, steam the milk till its frothy, and learn the secret to making the artistic design on top.
- Enjoy a custom cake, prepared to the winner’s specifications (flavor, frosting, color, theme, etc.).
- Relish half a dozen each of the most addictively delicious cookies and brownies ever.
- Receive a 5-lb bag of Coffee Labs Roasters coffee beans, a Bunbury’s mug to savor your coffee in, and a burlap tote to carry all your goodies home.
Valued at $175
Bidding starts at $100