Why would a bookstore help open a restaurant? On Stowe Street this summer, the owners of Bridgeside Books had an empty café next door with a full kitchen and a shared doorway into their shop. The space was "too big to just be a scoop shop," Chris Triolo told the Waterbury Roundabout, so the room ended up holding a café, a wine bar and an ice cream counter.
That decision is a good way to read the whole block this year. The Bidwell, Stone's Throw Pizza, Axel's and The Phoenix each changed in 2026. In every case, what you see from the sidewalk depends on a second line of business that is easier to miss.
The Café That Gave an Ice Cream Tricycle an Address
The Bidwell opened on Thursday, June 25, at 29 Stowe St., in the space Nicole Grenier ran as Stowe Street Café until she closed it in December 2025. Three partners own it. General manager Rachael Brown has 20 years of restaurant experience and was the opening manager at Stone's Throw's Waterbury location. Katya d'Angelo and Chris Triolo, who own Bridgeside Books, mostly handle marketing and back-end work.
The ice cream counter has a backstory. d'Angelo and Triolo founded The Udder Guys in 2018 and sold it from a tricycle around town because they couldn't find a permanent spot. They sold the business in fall 2022 to Grenier and her son Eli German, who pedaled it for three summers. With German leaving for college, the family sold it back to its original owners. Now it has a counter one door from the bookstore. The kitchen added another business on top of that. Brown wanted coffee available in Waterbury after 2 p.m. and a wine bar with an "approachable, extensive" menu. Chef Tiffany Caldwell, who used to run pasta production at Gallus and Hen of the Wood, wrote the menu. The owners' own favorites include the frittata sandwich, the 5th quarter ham sandwich, the meatball sub, the Bidwell bowl and the affogato. That last one brings the coffee and ice cream sides of the room together in one cup.
The name comes from Bidwell Lane, the short connector to Foundry Street that runs beside the building. The lane honors Dr. George Bidwell, who practiced family medicine in Waterbury for more than 50 years and by his own count delivered nearly 1,000 babies. His house stood between the buildings that now hold Bridgeside Books and Stowe Street Emporium. It was demolished to build the lane, which was finished in 1975. The owners are working with the Waterbury Historical Society on an exhibit about him for the dining room.
Stone's Throw Kept the Oven and Closed the Dining Room
Bidwell Lane matters for another reason. At 13 Stowe St., Stone's Throw Pizza ended on-site dining this fall. It still serves takeout pizza, salads and cannoli and is available for private events, Seven Days reported in its September 9 issue. The dining room had 70 seats, the most of any Stone's Throw location, plus seasonal small plates and a full cocktail bar.
Co-owner Allison Stratton said staffing was the main reason, calling it "1,000 percent worse in Waterbury" than at the company's Fairfax, Richmond and Jericho shops. The couple also pointed to a shortage of downtown parking for both staff and customers. What makes the smaller format possible is two dedicated takeout parking spots on Bidwell Lane. They were restored recently after a multiyear dispute over the parking spots was resolved. "Takeout is what makes that location make sense for us," Tyler Stratton told Seven Days.
For residents, the practical change is simple. The pizza is still on Stowe Street, and it now leaves in a box.
At Axel's, Framing Was Always the Steady Part
Across the street at 10 Stowe St., Axel's Gallery & Frame Shop changed hands in March after former owner Whitney Aldrich spent more than three years looking for a buyer. The new owner is Liz Walsh, who has run The Drawing Board, the art supply and framing shop in downtown Montpelier, since 2017.
For almost 50 years, framing has been the constant at Axel's. Aldrich told the Roundabout that framing is good business, especially with Waterbury's growing demand. Certified framer Kate Montross is staying on. Under Walsh, the shop is moving away from the gallery and adding retail art supplies. The Studio Store in Johnson closed, and Walsh said, "There's a hole that could be filled there."
The gallery side is still finishing what it promised. George Jackman of Stowe won both first place and the people's choice prize in the final annual Shoot Out photo contest. His solo show of black-and-white work, drawn from his "Rock On" and "The Simple Majesty of Rural Architecture" series, runs through Saturday, October 10. Axel's is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Put side by side, the three changes look like this:
| Address | What you see from the sidewalk | What carries it |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Stowe St., The Bidwell | Café and wine bar | The Udder Guys ice cream and a shared door with Bridgeside Books |
| 13 Stowe St., Stone's Throw Pizza | Pizza counter | Takeout, private events and two Bidwell Lane parking spots |
| 10 Stowe St., Axel's | Gallery storefront | Custom framing, now with art supplies |
| 5-7 Stowe St., The Phoenix | Gallery and music hall | Rented studios and offices upstairs |
At 5-7 Stowe Street, the Second Business Is Upstairs
The last row of that table is the one under the most strain right now. The Phoenix Gallery & Music Hall sits on the corner of Main Street under the two-story "Phoenix Rising" mural, a tribute to Waterbury's recovery from Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. Joseph Pensak and Anna Black opened it in June 2023. Their company rents the building and sublets space to the nonprofit TURNmusic, to furniture maker TR Risk, and to an architectural design firm and several art and wellness practitioners upstairs.
Pensak described the model plainly:
"We set up our business model for the upstairs rental studios to subsidize an art space open to the community."
The building's owner is Whitehill Invention Five LLC, led by Mark Myers Mermel. In September 2025 the company bought 5-7 Stowe St. and the neighboring 9 Stowe St., where WDEV broadcasts, from the Ken Squier Family Trust. In December, Mermel notified the tenants that he was terminating their leases, citing back rent and other lease violations. The tenants sued in Washington County Superior Court, saying they could prove rent was paid, and won a stay of eviction. In March, Mermel withdrew the eviction notice and agreed to mediation, which the tenants say did not resolve the case. Mermel's attorney declined to discuss the case with the Roundabout because it is still in litigation.
The money involved shows how much the gallery depends on the second floor. Pensak said one upstairs space has been empty since June, costing $600 a month. A second vacancy in October would raise the total to $1,060 a month. He told the Roundabout on September 22 that without that income, he and Black might not be able to pay October rent and could have to close on October 1. That day he started a 24-hour piano marathon in the gallery. In a social media announcement the day before, he asked supporters to buy art, rent the space for events, or contribute toward the October rent.
As of today, no published report says whether the venue closed, reached a settlement, or got a ruling after October 1. What is public is the calendar. The Phoenix's own event page still lists October shows, and the site lists Mary Lynn Burke's exhibition through December 31 and Elissa Lincoln's show in The Hesterly Black Gallery through January 31, 2027. The block also used the room as backup this summer. TURNmusic's free Music in the Alley concerts in Jack's Alley got a new $6,124 grant-funded modular stage and used The Phoenix as their rain venue.
The Stowe Street Calendar for the Rest of October
These are the dates currently listed for the block. Because the Phoenix dates are advance listings, check the venue's calendar or TURNmusic's show page before you go.
- Through Saturday, Oct. 10: George Jackman's black-and-white photographs at Axel's, 10 Stowe St.
- Tuesday, Oct. 13, 7:30 p.m.: TURNmusic presents Westerlund/Hagen playing "Grotto" at The Phoenix.
- Saturday, Oct. 17, 7:30 p.m.: TURNmusic presents James Harvey Unit featuring Tony Jones.
- Sunday, Oct. 18, 7 p.m.: Myra Flynn live at The Phoenix.
- Wednesday, Oct. 21: TURNmusic's October Jazz Jam at The Phoenix.
- Friday, Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m.: TURNmusic presents the Jake Whitesell Quartet with Andrew Moroz, Gabe Jarrett and Robinson Morse.
You can work a show night into the block's new setup. Get coffee or a glass of wine at The Bidwell before an evening set, or pick up takeout from Stone's Throw on the way home, since its two Bidwell Lane spots are back. No November dates appear yet on either the Phoenix or TURNmusic calendar.
At Flex Realty, we follow how Waterbury's downtown blocks change from season to season, because that affects daily life in town as much as any listing does. If you have questions about Waterbury, from Stowe Street to Waterbury Center, contact us. We're glad to share what we know.
