A Day in Bronxville

I grew up in a small rural town in Upstate NY. When I was younger, I remember spending time in the village's downtown. Over the years big-box and chain stores were popping up nearby and all the small, locally owned businesses started to close, including our family business. What I instantly liked about Westchester when I moved here is the abundance of town centers with locally owned restaurants and stores. Every so often I like to visit a new town to explore what they have to offer. Such is the theme of today's post: a day in Bronxville, NY.

I first explored Bronxville with a new friend when we went to see the movie Black Swan and to grab a cup of coffee. A couple weeks later, my husband and I went exploring when we both had the day off from work. The main attraction: Slave to the Grind. This is a local coffee shop that also sells a wall-full of whole bean coffee. I've had a hard time finding local coffee shops around here (aka not Starbucks) so was thrilled to check this place out. Jackson said his coffee was so-so but enjoyed his coffee cake. I loved my chai latte with soy milk. The atmosphere was perfect and we played mancala (which we brought ourselves) for at least an hour.

After our stop at Slave to the Grind, we wandered around downtown. We stopped into an independent book store called Womrath Bookshop and an eclectic gift and clothing store called Peoria Emporium. I loved finding this unique shop that stood out amongst some of the more traditional Westchester clothing stores. Granted the clothing prices were still too high for me, but the gift items and jewelry were reasonable. I'd probably go back to buy a gift for a friend someday. It was so cold the day of our adventure that we didn't go into any other stores but there are several more places to check out another day.

I can't finish before mentioning the local movie theater where I saw Black Swan. It is so incredible that the town still has a movie theater with the old-style marquee. I've been to two others like it in Westchester and feel good about supporting the town theater. What charm and history!

Check out the village's Chamber of Commerce website for business listings and events. You can also see a list of all the shops in Bronxville on the Westchester Magazine website.

Happy Adventures in Bronxville!