Coffee house opens at historic Silk Mill

By TOM KANE

HAWLEY, PA — An upscale coffee shop has opened at the site of the old Hawley Silk Mill, which is undergoing renovation. The operation, called the Cocoon Coffee and Catering Company, is owned by Grant and Jeanne Genzlinger, co-owners of the Settlers Inn in Hawley, who are also partners in the redevelopment of the Silk Mill project.

“This is where the silk cocoons were kept for the production of silk at the mill in the old days,” Jeanne said. “We’ve put on a new roof and have done considerable refurbishing to the rest of the building. We are still not completely finished.”

The cocoon building is a separate structure that sits next to the larger mill building. The two structures date back to 1893.

The facility, which will be open seven days a week, will operate daily from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Besides various coffees and coffee products, the store will prepare a range of foods for breakfast and lunch and will offer catering for groups on and off premises. Two entrees will be offered with different sandwiches, an assortment of cookies and muffins, Jeanne said.

“We feel that it will be a profitable venture since Lackawanna College will have a satellite facility in the mill,” she said. “We expect students and teachers will be steady customers.”

In the mill building, the developers are planning 18 retail spaces on the first floor and hope to attract local businesses.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission’s Bureau of Historic Preservation has recommended that the building be listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. The National Park Service (NPS), as part of the Department of the Interior, is the keeper of the registry.

“The silk mill is a significant building that is part of the heritage of the area, along with the Delaware and Hudson Canal and the historic railroad in Honesdale,” said Sandra Schultz, NPS assistant superintendent.

The reconstruction of the mill is an on-going project that may be completed by this fall. For more information on both the mill and the coffee house, call 646/236-3400.