Café White Rabbit Roasting Co. opens in Weedsport

The shop’s name, White Rabbit Roasting Co., represents the hard times she overcame starting her first business. A fan of “Alice in Wonderland,” she said the story helped her through those hard times.

“Believe in yourself,” she told The Citizen. “That’s the message I took from the story. It helped me push through.”

White Rabbit opened Sept. 6 in the former Nickel Back Jacks redemption center at 8905 S. Seneca St. in the village. Along with coffee roasted by Bucci-Taylor, the café serves teas by Earthly Emporium in Port Byron and baked items by several local producers, including doughnuts, Danishes and muffins by Camerons Bakery in Auburn and, soon, cinnamon buns by Doughlicious in Auburn.

White Rabbit also features candles by Eclectic Hedge in Port Byron, a little free library in coordination with the Weedsport Free Library, and tumblers custom-made by Lake Life Laser Studio in Auburn.

Being a local café is something Bucci-Taylor takes seriously, she said. White Rabbit is the first in Weedsport since Burritt’s closed in 2010.

“Since then the only coffee place we’ve had is Dunkin’ and Tim Hortons. We haven’t had a welcoming, kind of community-based place to hang out, sit and talk with friends,” she said. “And, being from Weedsport and starting small and having a handful of small businesses that helped me grow, I want to help them grow as well.”

A village native, Bucci-Taylor previously worked as a licensed practical nurse at Victory Sports Medicine in Skaneateles. She began roasting her own coffee as a hobby while staying home with her son, and shortly thereafter became stuck there due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Encouraged by her husband, Taih, she researched, bought machines and roasted for herself, and then friends and family.

Bucci-Taylor said she tries to use the highest quality coffee beans she can find, such as specialty, fair trade and organic. At White Rabbit, it’s available by the cup and by the bag.

“I try to keep it as fresh as possible,” she said, “so there are only a few bags on the shelf at a time.” 

At first Bucci-Taylor considered getting a coffee truck, but her bond with Weedsport led her to look for a storefront there instead. Taih, who owns a contracting business, built the tables, shelves and coffee bar. Meanwhile, her parents and other family staff the café. There’s enough seating for 20 people, with outdoor seating coming next summer. So far the response has been “really great,” she said.

“My whole goal was to have community support and build community within the shop,” she said. “It’s a nice, whimsical place for people to come together and enjoy good food and good coffee.”