Good Folk: The Story of Caffè Lena

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“What Lena did over a long period of time was just one of the many little modern miracles which may save the world.” – Pete Seeger

In 1958, Lena Spencer moved with her husband Bill to Saratoga Springs, NY. The Spencers, originally from Boston, had just signed a lease to occupy the second-story loft at 47 Phila Street situated above an antique store and laundromat. At the time, the unit was a former woodworking studio that had gone unused since 1953. Lena had the dream of transforming the dilapidated loft into an American folk coffeehouse and a center for artistic expression akin to those seen in places like London and Paris. Over 60 years later, Caffè Lena’s doors are still open, earning it the distinct title as the longest continuously running coffeehouse in America and a recognized historical and cultural institution.

  • Caffè Lena – photo by Joe Deuel
  • Caffè Lena kitchen by Joe Deuel

Caffè Lena officially opened its doors in 1960. Beyond food and drink, the cafe housed an open stage and a small black box theater. Meanwhile, approximately 200 miles away in the Greenwich Village in New York City, similar venues began to foster the chords of the American Folk revival and the ruminations of the Beat generation. Musicians and writers from all across America migrated to New York with the hopes of taking the stage at a coffeehouse in the Village. Places like Cafe Wha?, The Bitter End, and Gerde’s played host to the voices of Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Phil Ochs, Jack Kerouac, and Allen Ginsberg.

At the heart of the Folk Revival was musician Dave Van Ronk. Known as the “Mayor of MacDougal Street,” Dave Van Ronk shepherded the growing careers of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell through the Greenwich Village scene. As the stages inside the city began to fill up on a nightly basis – establishing New York City, Boston, and San Francisco as metropolitan hubs for this new movement – performers began to look outside the city limits to hone their craft.

Dave Van Ronk performing at Caffè Lena – photo by Joe Deuel

Back in Saratoga Springs, Caffè Lena was gaining notoriety for booking emerging musicians, poets, and actors, attracting talent and clientele from nearby Skidmore College. Lena had developed a close friendship with Dave Van Ronk and with his help, Caffè Lena began to add more notable names to its roster. Most famously, Bob Dylan played his first show outside of the city at Caffe Lena in 1961. Dylan was soon followed by the likes of Pete Seeger, Don McLean, and many more, who graced the intimate Caffè Lena stage.

After her husband left in 1962, Lena maintained the venue, paid the bills, managed the booking, and prepared the food at Caffè Lena by herself. While continuing to grow, the cafe embodied a grassroots persona and recruited young student volunteers to assist with daily operations. The 1970s and 80s saw Caffe Lena’s nightly programming grow to include a more diverse range of styles from bluegrass to the country ballads of Utah Phillips and Emmylou Harris. During this time, many of the pioneering coffeehouses in the city began to shutter. While other folk venues closed their doors, changed hands, or relocated, Caffe Lena remained.

Folkathon at Caffè Lena – photo by Joe Deuel

Despite the endless playbill of significant names that have taken the stage at Caffè Lena, nobody was more loved and revered than Lena herself. Pete Seeger came out to Saratoga Springs to perform in 1985 for Caffè Lena’s 25th anniversary. In that same year, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts recognized Caffè Lena as a national treasure for its contribution to American music history.

Lena Spencer passed away in 1989, yet the legacy of Caffè Lena continues to this day. After her death, Caffe Lena was transformed into a non-profit organization, reinforcing the same grassroots folk spirit from when it first opened in 1960. Under the guidance of its current executive director, Sarah Craig, Caffè Lena celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2010 with a performance by Arlo Guthrie. 

Lena reading at the cafe, 1989 – photo by Joe Deuel

From weekly open-mic nights to touring musicians, to serving coffee for local college students, Caffè Lena remains the oldest continuously running coffeehouse in America. It also aims to persevere the dream that Lena had over 60 years ago- to create a space for culture to thrive and for emerging artists to find their voice.

Learn more about the Blackwing 200 – tribute to coffeehouses like Caffè Lena

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