Chamber Members Get Preview of Future Calgo Gardens Cafe

At Tuesday’s Breakfast Bonanza members of the Howell Chamber of Commerce got a sneak peak at what Calgo Gardens hopes will be a successful addition to the Adelphia-Farmingdale business.

Owners Mark and Penny Estomin recently got approval to add a cafe to the property. Mark said while the bulk of the business comes from landscaping and hardscaping they like to add things their customers will enjoy. Calgo Gardens already has a nursery and a gift shop as well as a wellness center which offers massages, holistic therapies and spa treatments.

Estomin added, “You listen to your customers who spend a couple hours here and say where do we go from here.” With plans for the cafe now underway he is looking to partner with other small businesses like In The Garden to make everyone more successful. “We’re trying to do some things together to bring people into Howell. They can go there and stop here and make it more of a destination.”

Penny said the goal is to make the cafe blend in with the rest of what Calgo has done since moving to the area from Toms River. “When people started coming in here they would say it feels so peaceful here. It feels so wonderful.” She added, “It just started evolving and it kept evolving and people started loving it even more. We were loving it.”

As her members enjoyed a variety of quiches and a pot of soup on the stove for customers who came in later Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sue Dominguez said they were glad to support the local business. Dominguez said her group is one of many that use Calgo for their meeting places.

Whether it is a group holding a meeting or a customer in their gift shop Penny said they want make people feel at hom. “What we have is we try to do the different,” she said. “It’s not a business where we’re trying to get a million people in the stores like a box store. It’s kind of a place where you come and you see beautiful things and you want to enjoy them. You need a nice tranquil setting.”

When customers come for breakfast or lunch in the spring the owners expect that is exactly what they will get.