By Victor Tine
Staff writer
July 17, 2008 03:48 am PLUM ISLAND — Islanders will soon have a place to get a cup of coffee and a sandwich, buy a loaf of bread or a can of soup, and catch up on the latest happenings. And they'll do it all in surroundings as friendly to the environment as to the customer. Owner Kurt Littlefield took a break yesterday from renovating his new restaurant-convenience store to point out some of the energy-saving steps he is taking with the building. The former PJ's Variety, closed for four years, will be named Plum Crazy when it opens "sometime in the latter part of August," Littlefield said. Littlefield has changed the roofline to let in more light through five energy-efficient skylights he has installed. He plans to use devices called Solatubes, which gather and disburse daylight, to further increase the natural lighting of the place. He'll heat with propane, he said, and use a tankless water heater to conserve fuel. The siding and floor materials were both chosen for their energy efficiency, he said. "We're focused on a green environment," he said. "We're developing a good energy plan to be very green for the island." The Derry, N.H., resident also wants to re-create some of the atmosphere that made the corner of Northern Boulevard and 43rd Street the island's social center. "We want to really complement what islanders want," he said. "We wanted to develop something for the community." Littlefield, who is partnering with Jeanne Lacroix of Ware in the business, said he plans to install a walk-up ice cream window on the 43rd Street side of the building. By next year at this time, he said, he would like to have Plum Crazy serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Littlefield and Lacroix bought the property June 30 from Julian Geiger, CEO of the Aeropostale clothing line, whose late wife, Jeanne Geiger, had purchased it from Jane McNeal in June 2004. McNeal had operated PJ's Variety at the same Newbury location since May 1974. Jeanne Geiger planned to open either a restaurant or a catering service on the property, at 134 Northern Blvd., but she died in February 2005, before she could get started. Julian Geiger put the property up for sale in October. The coffee shop-convenience store has been closed since Jeanne Geiger took ownership, depriving Plum Island residents and visitors of a place for casual conversation and comfort food. Littlefield said he is aware of the pent-up demand of islanders hungry for food and talk. Since he and a crew of workers began renovating the building a week and a half ago, he said, "I'll bet we've had a hundred people stop by to see it."
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