A little bit of The 303 story:

Once upon a time Mel and Tom were ready to embrace their future, specifically their future here in East Boston. They loved having easy access to the city, but treasured the “neighborhood” aspect of living outside of the city. They did however feel that there was something missing. They longed for a place to go where they could sit down, have a light, healthy meal in a comfy place that they didn’t have to drive or take the train to get to. The idea of getting brunch somewhere nearby was unfathomable at the time but woefully desired.

As fate would have it, Tom and Mel were visiting their best friends in Nyack NY for the weekend. These two friends insisted on taking Mel and Tom to this cool cafe downtown. They said the food was great, the service was excellent and the decor was very salvation army. None of the furniture or dishware or utensils matched. You are probably getting the picture now. The place lived up to its reputation and it was all Mel and Tom could talk about on the 4-5 hr ride home. All they wanted was for someone to make it happen. Unfortunately, there were no takers, so as you can probably guess, Mel and Tom decided to do it themselves. ‘How hard can it be‘? Oh how naive (and somewhat ambitious).

Apparently, unbeknownst to Mel and Tom, some higher power was involved and a building came up for sale on Sumner St. It at one time had been Aronson‘s Dry Goods and most recently had been a private library/apt for Eugene Prang, a mathematician and physicist from MIT. Despite the fact that it needed a lot of work (a tree was growing through the back wall) it clearly had potential. Some of their friends and family would probably have begged to differ, but they all had faith in the fact that if anyone could make it happen, it would be Mel and Tom.

Some of its charm was peeking through: it had the original tin ceiling, hardwood floor, brick walls, a full basement for storage. Granted the tin on the wall was rusted from water damage, the basement was dirt flooring, the backyard was a jungle, but they had vision (or perhaps delusion). In April of 2002, it became theirs. All of it. Every last bit of it.

The better part of that year was spent meeting with the Jeffries Point Neighborhood Assoc, the East Boston Zoning Board, obtaining their permission and finally obtaining approval from the Boston Redevelopment Association. The next four years were spent on reconstruction. They were fortunate to have extensive support from East Boston Main Streets, The Boston Redevelopment, East Boston politicians, the Mayor and many others as well as from the neighborhood itself. They even managed to qualify for the RESTORE Grant which helped defray some of the cost for the storefront renovations. They did all of the structural work and interior design themselves.

Throughout the process, every attempt was made to recycle product from within the building. The flooring from the front which had been oversanded is on the handicap ramp, the counter and around the chalkboards. The floor from the back is now in the front. The tin ceiling remains and was repainted. All of the appliances are energy efficient and the heat is radiant floor heating. The skylights were replaced to assist with solar lighting and heat and the wainscoting from the wall is now within the skylight set up.

One of the major goals of the cafe was to provide a place where the neighborhood, with all of its diversity could gather and feel welcome. Also it was designed to be a showcase for local artists whether painter, sculptor, poet, etc. There is so much rich talent here in Eastie just begging for a place to display it. Part of The 303 Cafe's purpose is to unite the various entities of artists as well as incorporate events with local community groups; Atlantic Works and Zumix.

Five years later an abundance of TLC, extensive sweat equity, and intensive commitment have finally resulted in what is now 303 Cafe. Mel and Tom set out to bring great food, fine coffee and excellent service to Eastie and give the neighborhood, their neighborhood, something it truly deserved. They encourage you to be the judge of the effectiveness of their efforts.

They truly hope you enjoy your experience at 303 Cafe as much as they do. But most of all, they genuinely want to thank everyone involved for their previous and ongoing support throughout this amazing project.