There’s something about a small coffee shop on Main Street that feels timeless. The warm scent of roasted beans, the quiet hum of conversation, the familiar clink of mugs being set down on wooden tables.
In Penn Yan, that place is
Amity Coffee Co. — a cozy little shop where locals gather for a morning latte, visitors pause during a day exploring Keuka Lake, and the rhythm of village life moves gently through the door all day long.
Owned by Lyndsi Stoltzfus, Amity has quickly become one of those places that feels both fresh and deeply rooted in the community. The name itself — Amity — means friendship, and it’s a fitting description for the welcoming atmosphere inside. Whether you're meeting a friend, catching up on work, or simply warming your hands around a mug on a chilly Finger Lakes morning, the shop has the comfortable feeling of a place meant for lingering.
But like many of the buildings lining Penn Yan’s historic Main Street, the story of this spot didn’t begin with coffee.
It began more than 150 years ago.
A Building That Has Seen It All
The building that houses Amity Coffee today was constructed around 1873, during a time when Penn Yan was a bustling canal village. Not far from Main Street ran the Crooked Lake Canal, connecting Keuka Lake to Seneca Lake. Boats once moved through the village carrying grain, grapes, lumber, and goods from farms across the region.
In those early years, travelers needed places to rest — and this building became one of them.
In the late 1800s it operated as the Barron House Hotel, welcoming guests arriving by canal boat, carriage, and eventually by train. Like many village hotels of the era, the first floor hosted a lively combination of dining rooms and saloons while rooms upstairs offered simple accommodations for travelers passing through.
Over the decades the building continued to evolve, mirroring the changing life of the village itself.
At different times it housed:
• A hotel known as the Ackley House
• A pool hall in the early 1900s
• A Chevrolet auto exchange during the early days of automobiles
• Several small restaurants and businesses
And during the years of Prohibition, whispers say the building may have hidden a speakeasy in its basement, reached quietly through a neighboring doorway — a secret little refuge during the days when a simple drink had to be taken in secret.
Now whether that tale is fact or just one of those wonderfully persistent small-town legends, I can’t say for certain. But it’s awfully fun to imagine a dimly lit room tucked beneath the floorboards, a piano playing softly, and a handful of slightly rebellious patrons slipping in through the shadows to share a laugh, a story, and perhaps a carefully poured glass.
After all, buildings this old rarely give up all their secrets.
After Prohibition ended in 1933, the restaurant operating there became one of the first establishments in Yates County to legally serve alcohol again.
For decades afterward, locals knew the spot as R & M Grill, and later Lloyd’s Limited, a longtime village pub where many Penn Yan stories were shared over a drink.
A New Chapter on Main Street
Today, the voices inside the building sound a little different.
Instead of hotel guests and pool players, you’ll find coffee drinkers and neighbors catching up on the latest village news. Laptop keyboards tap quietly in the corner. Baristas craft beautiful espresso drinks while sunlight pours through the front windows from Main Street.
Yet in many ways, the spirit of the building hasn’t changed at all.
It has always been a place where people gather.
A place where conversations happen.
A place where community forms over something simple — whether it was a glass of whiskey a century ago or a carefully brewed cup of coffee today.
And perhaps that’s what makes Amity Coffee feel so perfectly at home here.
Because when you step inside and wrap your hands around a warm mug, you’re not just enjoying a great cup of coffee.
You’re sitting inside one of Penn Yan’s quiet storytellers — a building that has welcomed travelers, locals, and friends for more than a century.
Some things, it seems, never really change.
☕
Amity Coffee Co.
📍 3 Main Street, Penn Yan, NY 14527
Right in the heart of Penn Yan, Amity Coffee Co. has become a favorite gathering place for locals and visitors alike. Whether you're starting the morning with a rich cup of coffee or settling in for a relaxed afternoon conversation, the welcoming atmosphere makes it feel like a natural stop along Main Street.
📞 Phone: (315) 279-4440
📧 Email: hello@amitycoffee.co
🌐 Website:
http://amitycoffee.co/
Stop in, grab a cup, and enjoy one of those simple moments that make life around Keuka Lake feel just right.
Keuka Roots Note:
Next time you stop at Amity Coffee, take a moment to imagine the stories those brick walls could tell — canal boats unloading just down the street, hotel guests arriving by carriage, whispered conversations in a Prohibition-era basement.
And then take a sip of your coffee.
Because now, you’re part of the story too.
Stay Rooted. Stay Keuka. 🌿
