By Finnegan Courtney

WESTPORT — The traditions of two longtime institutions — the railroad and the post office — are alive, well and evolving with Steam Coffee & Tea.

For years an institution by the Greens Farms Train Station, the shop and its owner Bob Glaser recently made the move down near the Westport Train Station, where he took over one of Saugatuck’s most iconic spaces at the corner of 16 Railroad Place.

“When this [space] became available, I jumped at it,” Glaser said, though there were challenges.

“It was like Murphy’s Law,” he said. “We had to renovate the building, COVID happened and I became very sick — not because of COVID, but something else.”

“So it’s been a three-year project,” he said.

Since September Steam has been open at its new location, which for many years housed the well-known newspaper store Desi’s Corner, and centuries ago was the site of the town’s post office, which later operated across the street for decades before closing a dozen years ago.

You’ve Got Mail … & On-Site Roasted Coffee

Since the move, while Steam has served as a nice stop for refreshments — and a special brand of organic coffee that is roasted on the premises — the owner is trying to expand the business beyond just that.

One idea was opening what he calls “Saugatuck Mail.” It’s a system that serves almost as a replacement to the old post office whereby Westport residents can receive deliveries from places like Amazon, Federal Express, and others, and then get notifications on their phones to pick up items at Steam.

“My idea when COVID hit was (to) make this the new post office,” Glaser said.

Currently, the service is the same cost as the post office: $25 a month or $300 a year, with two special promotions being offered to entice business.

“If you want to come in the middle of the night to get your mail, you’ll have a passcode (to) come in anytime,” he said.

New York Pastries

Another new idea, which is happening Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, is exclusive product from Magnolia Bakery and Ferrara’s, an Italian pastry shop, both in New York City.

“I’ve partnered with a longtime friend … We’re kind of transitioning the space (into) a dessert destination,” Glaser said.

While the journey may have been difficult since the move, Glaser has still enjoyed his time at Steam’s new location since opening up.

He said his participation in Slice of Saugatuck brought in literally thousands of people.

“We gave away 40 dozen donuts and hundreds of bagels that day,” he said. “The line went all the way past the train station. It was crazy. I couldn’t believe how many people, but it was fun.”