New business in the Pine Hills neighborhood

By KAYLA DEMICCO
Co-Executive Editor

After Hudson River Coffee House shut down in spring 2019 and the basement section of 227 Quail St. was vacant for more than one year, a new establishment has taken its place. The Ground Up Cafe & Lounge, owned by Asi-Yahola Boutelle, has occupied the space and has been in operation since the end of January.

Boutelle first heard of the opportunity of the empty space from Owusu Anane, Albany councilmember of the Tenth Ward. Even though they have known each other for several years, it was not until Boutelle was looking to open a second business that Anane suggested the Pine Hills neighbourhood to be his next location for expansion.

“I actually showed the place to seven businesses and I’m glad Mr. Butelle saw the potential and invested in the neighborhood,” wrote Anane in an email.

The inspiration for going into the food business has always been with him, even before COVID-19. Boutelle and his wife, Chenique Boutelle, an assistant professor of Social Work at The College of Saint Rose, were expecting their first child in 2020 and were looking to find another means of income to support their family.

On top of that, Boutelle is finishing up his Masters in Public Health at State University of New York at Albany. After completing his MPH, Boutelle will seek a Masters in Business Administration from Saint Rose this fall. Once that goal is completed, Boutelle will then return to medical school to finish his medical degree.
After doing research on owning a small business and figuring out locations that would succeed, the Boutelles bought Chipmunk Coffee & Tea, located in Rotterdam Viaport Mall in Schenectady, New York in July 2020.

“Purchasing a business seemed like a really good step towards [building wealth for our family],” said Boutelle. “A small coffee shop in the mall seemed relatively easy to manage. Coffee itself is profitable as far as business models go. It’s something that’s in demand whether there is a pandemic or not.”

Since being open for the past few months, Boutelle has seen the struggles of the pandemic and winter months but has still seen business coming through.

Boutelle began the hiring process in early January and currently has five people working at The Ground Up but would be willing to hire students.

“We’re hoping that things will ramp up and get busier, that we would need new hires soon,” said Boutelle.

He takes pride in the fact that all of the food, coffee and drinks he has available in house are locally sourced and all of the food is made fresh daily.

“Our chefs are the stars of the show,” said Boutelle. “They put a lot of care and thought into the menu items.”

They have a partnership with a local farming company, Old World Farms; local bakeries such as Nino’s Bakery and Rockland Bakery; as well as Capital City Roasters, and Resilience Roasting Company.

“It’s one way that we can think of to give back to the community,” said Boutelle. “We need to align our business practices with our morals and ideals.”

While also giving back to the community through local sourcing, they also have partnerships with Alex’s Way at the Schuyler Inn in Watervliet and Things of My Very Own, a children’s crisis intervention service, in Schenectady. Alex’s Way at the Schuyler Inn is a child care facility for families in transitional housing, and Things of My Very Own, is a non-profit organization that helps children in the foster care system. The Boutelles have donated food, services, supported fundraising efforts and pledged to share a portion of their profits with their community partners. Once the pandemic is over, Boutelle hopes to be able to donate more to both organizations.

“We knew from the beginning that we wanted to give back to the community,” said Boutelle’s wife.

As an alumna of the college, Boutelle’s wife also thinks the location of The Ground Up is good with the proximity of students and the surrounding area.

One aspect that Boutelle highlighted was the incorporation of a mobile app for The Ground Up, which features an order online and pick up in store option, as well as an opportunity for customers to earn points towards their loyalty program.

For this upcoming summer, Boutelle has plans to open up a patio as the weather is expected to be nicer for outdoor dining. He is also in the process of opening up a third business in Troy, N.Y. called The Drinking Gourd, which will be a gourmet deli and bourbon bar.

Once COVID-19 restrictions ease up, Boutelle hopes to hold more in person at The Ground Up events such as catering, open mic nights, and student fundraisers.

Until those can happen, The Ground Up offers a pool table, free WiFi, student discounts, is able to host small scale events and offers delivery through Grubhub and DoorDash.

“The atmosphere at The Ground Up Cafe has made it one of my favorite places to be. With the music, pool table, table games, delicious food and drinks, it’s just the perfect chill spot for people of all ages!” said Bianca Vitolo, an employee at The Ground Up, via email.

Though The Ground Up is suitable for all, Boutelle emphasized his desire to connect with local college students.

“I really want to strengthen our relationship with the Saint Rose community and let them know that this is their home,” said Boutelle.