After more than 10 years in business, The Farm Concessions & Cafe in Keene has closed its doors.
The vegetarian and vegan restaurant that was inside the Toadstool Bookshop at 12 Emerald St. closed Oct. 2, according to the café’s owners.
Clyde “Skip” Smith and his wife, Amy, started the business during the summer of 2014 as a food truck in Keene, and opened the café inside the Keene bookstore in 2017. Skip Smith said the business closed because it was time for him to retire from working in the food service industry after having done so for roughly 30 years.
“People think I retired in general, but I just didn’t want to be in the restaurant business any longer,” he said Monday morning.
“The lease was up and it seemed like the right time. I’m looking forward to spending time with family, and just figuring out what to do next from here.”
Emerson Sistare, owner of the Toadstool stores in Keene and Peterborough, was not reachable for comment Monday about any plans for the space, which was vacant as of that morning with a sign indicating it was temporarily closed to the public.
The Farm Cafe’s closure leaves the Elm City without a dedicated vegetarian/vegan restaurant, since the Country Life Vegan Restaurant on Roxbury Street closed its doors in March after 37 years in business.
James Rinker can be reached at 603-355-8569, or jrinker@keenesentinel.com.
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