CROSBY BAKERY
& CAFÉ.

Crosby Bakery wasn’t the only local business interested in this space. There were other companies being considered, and a lot of meetings before anything was settled. Through those conversations with St. Joseph Hospital, we got to know people we’ve come to appreciate a great deal.

What became clear was the kind of café they wanted: a neighborhood bakery with deep local roots, bringing its own history and familiar faces into the hospital. A place where people wouldn’t just be handed a coffee. They’d be remembered.

That felt right for Crosby Bakery. Crosby Bakery has been part of Nashua since 1947. When we became part of its story, we inherited a personal touch that we’ve come to know and love through the community at our bakery. We wanted to carry that same feeling into St. Joe’s: knowing people’s names, remembering their favorites, and making them feel at home.

Getting started came during one of the hardest times of my life. My best friend was dying of cancer. After spending so much time in hospitals with people I loved, I knew the feeling of walking through those doors carrying worry you couldn’t simply put down.

Being in the café was comforting in a way I hadn’t expected. It gave us a chance to offer something small but real: a kind conversation, a familiar face, a moment when someone could sit down and breathe.

There was also the work of opening a new café while keeping the bakery going. Thanksgiving and Christmas were approaching, and anyone who knows a bakery knows what that season takes. It was a lot to carry. Stephanie, Jess and I helped get the café started together. I spent that first year working alongside Stephanie, finding our rhythm and building relationships one day at a time.

We talked about it with our team almost every day: this is a hospital. Someone coming to the counter might be having one of the hardest days of their life. If they’re short with us or seem upset, we may have no idea what they’ve just been through.

So we lead with patience, understanding and forgiveness. Give people a little grace. Learn their names. Remember their coffee. Make room for a conversation if they need one, and a quiet moment if they don’t.

That’s why the library matters. Why we want good books—great hardcovers people can get lost in. Why Rachel’s art belongs on these walls, and why we want other local artists to feel welcome here too. All of it is part of making this a place people can feel comfortable.

Stephanie and Jess brought that feeling from the beginning. They weren’t experienced baristas when we started; they were wonderful people who cared. Jess went on to a great opportunity working at the hospital itself, and she still comes back as a customer every day. We love seeing her on the other side of the counter. Stephanie now leads the café team. I swear she knows the coffee order of just about everyone who works here.

There are names called across the counter, high-fives, familiar orders already being remembered. The front-desk crew are our people—our eyes and ears, always helping us feel connected to what’s happening around us.

And it’s everyone. The nurses and assistants. Housekeeping, maintenance and linen services. People like Matt, whose kindness makes him feel like family. Everyone plays a part in making this hospital feel the way it does.

We see nervous dads come in for coffee, then return with that enormous, relieved smile after their baby arrives. Families stop back during follow-up visits. They recognize us, the nurses, the people who helped them. A breakfast sandwich turns into a conversation, and a conversation turns into a friendship.

That friendliness is what makes St. Joe’s special to us. We wanted to bring a neighborhood feeling here. The people of this hospital bring it right back, every day.