Corner Brew in Dryden celebrates a year in business

Kayla Lane sat in the middle of The Corner Brew, her coffee shop at 1 West Main St. in the village of Dryden, and reminisced about when she was getting ready to open it to the public last March.

Now, the popular coffee establishment is celebrating a year in business.

“It’s been surreal. Life moves fast, but it’s been great,” Lane said. “We really didn’t know what to expect.”

Lane quickly realized how much of a need there was for a coffee shop and event space in the village. Since its inception, The Corner Brew has become a go-to destination for community members.

“The community response and turnout has felt great,” Lane said.

Lane has managed the space for 10 years. Dryden Realty, which Lane co-owns, has owned the building for 25 years. The space last housed Dryden Community Cafe, which closed its doors in February 2020.

The space was the original home of Clark’s Food Mart, which was owned by Eric Clark’s grandfather. Clark is Lane’s husband.

The coffee shop’s menu has remained consistent, Lane said. The Corner Brew’s menu includes a variety of bagels, pastries, coffee and other drinks. The coffee shop has offered specials, including a variety of different flavors of cream cheese, coffee flavor combinations and more.

“It’s been well received,” Lane said. “People enjoy the specials.”

Lane initially had plans to make The Corner Brew a coffee shop and a private event space, but she soon realized that goal would be difficult to accomplish.

However, an opportunity arose for Lane. The space next to Lane’s coffee shop became vacant when the owner of CNY Signs, a graphic-printing business, left the area. 

This led to Lane turning the vacant spot into a full-on private event space for the community. After completing renovations in The Corner Brew, light renovations were made in the event space for a “modern, but comfortable” feel, Lane said.

Lane said that having separate spaces for the coffee shop and events was “the way to go.”

“It ties into what we offer here,” Lane said. “I didn’t think people would want to rent out a space here on West Main Street for a special event. Turns out, they do. It fits the need, so we’re not hindering the space [of the coffee shop].”

The feel of The Corner Brew is also important to Lane. She originally thought that the coffee shop might be “too modern or eclectic.” Lane then noted that her coffee shop turned out to be “comfortable and welcoming to everyone.”

“That was reassuring to me,” she said.

The future of the coffee shop and event space will include upgrading the exterior of the building, Lane said. She plans to keep the original brick facade intact.

Lane is applying for grant funding to cover costs of projects for the building’s exterior.

“The brick is a huge aspect,” Lane said. “We’re just trying to improve what’s already there for an updated and fresh [look]. We want it just as inviting outside as people are saying it is inside.”

Lane is considering a trailer to give The Corner Brew a drive-thru option at a different location in the village. The trailer could also be used for special events in the area or as a temporary stop at Tompkins Cortland Community College.

Dryden Dispatch appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.

In brief:

Dryden School District seeks school board candidates

The Dryden Central School District is seeking candidates for its upcoming school board election.

Four seats are up for a vote at the May 21 election. Three of the seats will have a three-year term from July 1 of this year to June 30, 2027. The fourth and final seat will run from July 1 of this year to June 30, 2025.

For further information or to obtain a candidate packet, contact District Clerk Carrie Merriman at 607-844-5361 or cmerrim1@dryden.k12.ny.us.

Candidate petitions, with 25 signatures, are due in the district clerk’s office by April 22 at 5 p.m.

Dryden Little League to host golf tournament May 19

The Dryden Little League will host a fundraising golf tournament May 19 at 8 a.m. at the Stonehedges Golf Course in Groton.

The tournament is in a captain-and-crew format, and the cost is $300 for each four-person team. Funds raised will support the Dryden youth baseball and softball teams and will provide uniforms and equipment for participants.

The tournament includes 18 holes of golf, two carts per team, dinner after golf, door prizes and gift bags. Events during the tournament include longest drive and closest-to-the-pin contests, a $1,000 hole-in-one challenge, a 50/50 putting contest and optional raffles for various prizes.

For inquiries, send an email to golf@drydenlittleleague.com. Tournament registration and sponsorship forms are available upon request.

Genre-based book club to meet April 28

Books & Brew is scheduled to meet at 3 p.m. April 28 at the Hopshire Farm & Brewery in the village of Freeville.

The theme for the month of April is “Reading Through the Decades: Decade of Triumph and the American Dream,” with a focus between 1940 and 1959. The club encourages participants to read about that time period, including things, events or people during that period.

For more information about Books & Brew, go to southworthlibrary.org.