> Out & About: Todd DeWald, owner of The Beanery Bistro
Out & About: Todd DeWald, owner of The Beanery Bistro
Todd DeWald is the owner of The Beanery Bistro at 55 Palisado Ave. It was established in 2005 and originally occupied space at 697 Poquonock Ave., run by sisters Carol Engelmann and Jane Garibay. In 2008, Bart’s Drive-In owner Don Trinks purchased the business, where Engelmann continued to oversee operations until her retirement. Todd took over in May of 2017. He is a Chamber of Commerce member. Todd was born and raised in a small farm town in Pennsylvania. He went to the University of New Haven and graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice after four years. Three months later, he joined the police academy and became an officer for eighteen months at the Seymour Police Department. Within that amount of time, Todd came to a realization. He says, "I decided it wasn't for me." Newly wed to wife Rebecca in the winter of 2016, she has a name built within the community. Her father is Windsor Mayor and owner of Bart's Drive-In, Donald S. Trinks. When Todd wanted to start his own business, it was his father in-law who sold The Beanery to him. The Beanery began getting a new makeover in the spring of last year. Todd added his own touch to it, but wanted to keep the same aspect of what people have grown to know it as. Keeping to his word, Todd sells sandwiches, coffees, and smoothies. The added touch though is doughnuts and pastries made from scratch. As a first-time business operator, Todd has no problems. Only he and his wife run The Beanery, but have a list of things to do. It's a matter of time and money to do things. Bookkeeping and running daily operations keep them busy. The two work about sixty hours a week, a lot of long hours. Todd shrugs it off. "We're both young." The Beanery finds its patrons through word of mouth and the fact they are next door to Bart's helps traffic flow. They've been trying to establish themselves with social media to get the word out. It seems to work as they do get regulars. Todd notes that, "I feel that there's a lot of room for expansion. Just hoping we get there." Over the past few months of late, another part has been added to The Beanery. It's called "The Bottle Shop." Started when he and his wife got married two years ago, the couple began doing things with wine bottles. The idea came from using them as decorations for their wedding. They make Lights, wind chimes, and bird feeders. Rebecca does all of the etchings in vases and lanterns. They have sold their wares at the Windsor Lions Club Craft Fair in May. Outside of The Beanery, the DeWalds have their own on-line shop on Etsy. Todd says he was involved with wood workshop classes back in high school. Todd has grown to like Windsor. "It's a big town, but it has a small town feel to it. It's right next to everything. You can do all of the shopping within it or nearby others for all your needs. It's close to Enfield and Hartford. It's close to the airport." He really likes Windsor because of the activities that abound such as the Summer Concert Series on the green, Shad Derby, Northwest Park, and Memorial Day parades. Todd always gets something from the Windsor Lions Club Craft Fair for his mom too. Todd says, where he grew up, they never had such things. There was a flea market at the local firehouse and that was about it. He can truly appreciate what's here in Windsor. Three words that describe Todd: Adventurous. Creative. Optimistic. |
