New East Haven Coffee Shop Moves Closer to Opening

The lease agreement may not yet have been officially signed, but all parties involved in bringing a new upscale coffee shop to the Trolley Square Plaza — including both the landlord and management company — are looking to get the deal done.

"Clearly we want to move forward with the transaction," Dominick Musilli of Rhys Commercial Real Estate, the company that manages the plaza, told East Haven Patch. "And the landlord does as well."

The shopping center is owned by Cb Commercial Prime Properties LLC, according to the latest listing on Manta.com.

WiFi, iPads and Frozen Yogurt

Richard Cordeiro, a Guilford resident, has submitted plans to the town's zoning office for the proposed new cafe, which he is hoping to move into the vacant 1,635-square-foot office space next door to the U.S. Post Office in the busy East Haven shopping center.

Cordeiro, a native of Branford, said the shop would not only feature quality coffee drinks, but also a self-serve area for frozen yogurt.

The plans for the cafe include an area for outdoor seating, and state-of-the-art wireless internet access — as well as iPads mounted into some of the shop's counter tops.

'Going Through the Papers'

Although the leasing agreement is still in negotiations, when asked if the talks were moving forward in a positive direction Musilli responded "absolutely."

"We're just going through the papers, with the lawyers going back and forth," Musilli said.

"Assuming that things go smoothly, it should be done in the next 30 to 60 days," Musilli said of the rental contract.

Cordeiro said he expected to pass along a deposit to the management company to secure the space as early as this week.

"Then they'll draw up the lease and then we'll sign it," he said.

'We Intend to Go Forward'

There had been some concerns that Stop & Shop, the center's largest single occupant, might not approve the cafe's plans for an outdoor seating area.

But Cordeiro told East Haven Patch that that issue has since been resolved.

"Stop & Shop has waived any problem with outdoor seating," he said, adding that the town has also said it is OK with the outdoor area as well.

"So we intend to go forward," Cordeiro said.