BELGRADE — The best compliment Melissa Furbush could have received on her new enterprise came during its June opening weekend.

“This space is exactly what Maine summer is supposed to be.”

Furbush and her husband, Kirt, opened the 1958 Café at Day’s Store, and she said the compliment captures exactly what she wants people to experience. 

With her grandfather’s antique snowshoes on the wall and old family signs as decor, the café is a tribute to her family and its generational business.

“It’s like an ode to the people before us. We wouldn’t be able to do this without my parents, their grandparents and their parents. There is so much heritage, and we want everyone to enjoy the spot,” Furbush said. 

Day’s Store at 182 Main St. in Belgrade has been a staple for residents in the Lakes Region since 1958, selling everything from sporting goods and fishing line, to groceries and deli items. The café is in what was once a gift shop in the back of the store.

Furbush’s parents, Diane and Kerry Oliver, own Day’s Store and inherited it through Diane’s parents, Gary and Joyce Day. The 1958 Café at Day’s Store is owned by Furbush and her husband. Furbush said eventually they will take over the store. 

The couple, who have been together for 18 years, started working at the store about 10 years ago, Furbush said.

Although she doesn’t have a background in restaurants, Furbush said she knew she wanted to make a place where people could enjoy food and drinks while overlooking Long Pond.

“I want it to be a space that everyone can enjoy, whether it’s after work for a cocktail or a family for dinner on the weekends, locals, or those vacationing,” she said.

Furbush said the breakfast menu features local eggs, sausage and bacon. Simple items like bagels and cream cheese are on the menu as is the Belgrade Benny — the café’s take on eggs Benedict — and a classic French toast with Maine maple syrup. 

Her favorite item on the menu is fish and chips (the fish is served in a Shipyard beer batter), while her husband’s is the Reuben sandwich, served with “very good” fries. 

The café has a full bar where bartenders make their own simple syrups for spicy pineapple or blueberry margaritas. For those who don’t drink alcohol, the menu features spirits-free drinks and THC-infused Longcoast drinks.

“We have stuff for people who aren’t drinkers so that anyone can come off the boat and enjoy drinks with friends,” Furbush said.

In the month the café has been open, business has been great, she said.

“People are happy to have another local spot, and I think that people in the area are really appreciating the decor,” she said. “We basically decorated by trying not to buy many decorations and rummaged through what we had. It’s all old stuff our families had.”

The 1958 Café at Day’s Store serves breakfast, lunch and dinner Wednesday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The couple plan to keep the cafe open through the fall, close during the winter months, and reopen in the spring.