Charlie Hunter, owner of the Rye Bar and the Garage at Rye, grew up in the neighborhood of Second and Davis Streets, went to the Arthur W. Booth School on the corner (closed more than twenty years and soon to be transformed into an apartment complex), and roamed these streets freely as a kid. Ever since moving back to the area, he’s doing his part—actually, a lot more than that—to make this neighborhood one that people let their kids walk around in again. He owns the buildings on the corner, which are being renovated as long-term corporate rentals and long-term residential rentals. In the historic building at 365 Davis Street where in 2019 he opened the Rye Bar (once Horigan’s), he revamped the bar and renovated three two-bedroom condos upstairs, now listed on Airbnb.

Charlie left the area for San Francisco to be in a big city environment and returned five years ago to buy his family home when it went on the market. “I have cousins in the area,” he says. He knows there have been problems in the past but feels the neighborhood’s bad reputation is no longer deserved. “I’ve been here for five years,” he says, “and had almost zero issues.”

There are other investors in the neighborhood, but Charlie is the main force behind the renaissance, building by building, bar by bakery. On Valentine’s Day last year, he showed his love by opening the Garage at Rye, a coffee shop at 357 Davis Street across the spacious courtyard from his first venture. “Food and style are my thing,” Charlie says. Both businesses have “the same attention to detail—always using fresh ingredients and providing top customer service,” but “it’s a younger crowd at the Garage.”

To call the Garage a coffee shop doesn’t capture its uniqueness. The space was once an electrician’s building. Charlie worked with the industrial feel, adding warm elements like bright red mod corner chairs near the stocked coolers, a long community table, four intimate bistro tables, and a bar-height counter with stools against the glass garage door that gives a view onto the courtyard. When no one’s at the counter, the laughter coming from the open kitchen mixes with the background tunes and sunshine to brighten anyone’s mood.

College students and locals drop by for breakfast, a snack, lunch, or to fuel up on Forty Weight Coffee from Ithaca roasters. “I like to do things as hard as I can apparently,” Charlie laughs, and clarifies, “the right way. Our baker arrives at 3 or 3:30 a.m. so we’re ready to open by 7.” All breads, croissants, and pastries are made there, and the morning bun—croissant dough wrapped up like a cinnamon bun with a hint of orange—is a big hit. You can order online at thegarageatrye.com or call ahead at (607) 731-6607.

The Garage wasn’t always going to be a bakery and coffee shop. While visiting Italy in the summer of 2023, he decided to use the space to open a pizzeria and tequila bar. (Why pizza and tequila? “It’s what I like,” says Charlie.) He came home and built a copper bar on one wall and bought a pizza oven, but soon realized that in order to do this “the right way,” he needed to find an authentic pizza maker who cared about people and quality ingredients. However, the neighborhood needed a coffee shop, so he went to Plan B, using the large pizza oven as a warmer.

Meanwhile, the copper-front bar with whisk-style hanging light fixtures stood watch over his dream from one end of the Garage. Now, Charlie has found his authentic pizza maker—he won’t say who until all details are finalized—and is getting ready to open the pizza bar in August. This gives him time to collect more tequila and mescal options. “I like to learn,” he says, “so to have just one mescal isn’t interesting. To have twenty and be able to try them is interesting.” He already has thirty or more. Tequila flights will be available, though it’s a full bar where customers can order their favorite cocktails. The coffee shop won’t go away, but Tuesday through Saturday, when it closes at 4 p.m., the space will take on a new persona.

The liquors will taste especially good on summer Sunday evenings with live Latin music in the courtyard from 4 to 7 p.m. On every other Sunday, Latin music will alternate with different genres, filling the neighborhood with good tunes and great vibes. Dogs can’t come inside but are welcome in the courtyard, where there are water bowls. “We’re going to start making dog biscuits,” Charlie says.

Another new initiative is the virtual bodega, where coolers in the Garage are stocked with homemade takeaways. Both restaurants will supply the bodega with snacks and meal-makers such as hummus, lasagna, shepherd’s pie, soups (perhaps fresh tomato or Manhattan seafood chowder), alfredo sauce, salads, and garlic bread. A variety of bottled and chilled lattes—chai, oat milk—along with overnight oats with fresh fruit are ready for those on the go. Just one more way the two places can support each other.

Charlie will never run out of ideas (future initiatives might include catering), but he is slowing down after having worked a lot the last four years. Recently he took the season of Lent off. “I have the best team I’ve ever had in the five years of being open,” he says. “I have three managers that make it all work. For the first time, I can guide and let others take the lead.”

Empowering his staff goes hand-in-hand with empowering his community. Whatever new ideas Charlie has, they will definitely center around quality ingredients and quality people.