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When Verve opened its two locations about two months ago — one at the Collins Center for the Arts and one in downtown Orono — its relationship with creative expression was clear: The CCA venue would serve patrons of the arts at music, theater and other performances throughout the year.
But now, the door has been opened for customers at the downtown location to enjoy the arts while they sip coffee and mow down on pastries. On Sunday, a variety of local musicians and writers performed at Verve during special night hours, beginning at 7 p.m. — the store usually closes at 4 p.m. Roughly 50 people attended.
Anya Rose, a graduate student in ecology and environmental science, was one of the performers. She also was crucial in bringing live music and art to Verve.
“It seemed like something that was bound to happen,” Rose said. “I just asked if we could play and they said ‘sure.’”
“Anya comes in pretty often to Verve during the day to hang out, do work, relax,” said Abe Furth, co-owner of Verve with his wife Heather.
“When we first opened, she mentioned it to us, and we were really excited about the idea. I was really super pleased with how it came out, you know? I couldn’t be happier with the performance itself and I thought it was a lot of talented people.”
The performers included Rose, who performed with guitarist Craig Lodis; writers Adam Crowley, assistant professor of English at Husson University; Alison Fraser, Megan London; and University of Maine alumnus Clinton Spaulding.
“There’s a lot of really interesting and talented people in town that the university draws here, and it’s nice to have a place to see that, to share it,” Abe said.
Heather and Abe plan on having more performance nights at Verve in the near future.
“We probably wouldn’t start it over winter break just because the crowd wouldn’t be around,” Heather said. “But certainly the beginning of next semester and maybe one prior to break or something like that.”
Abe has been talking to a student at the New England School of Communications about doing an acoustic night. Ideas are in the works to connect with the English department to explore the idea of doing readings. When all is said and done, Verve’s owners would like to be able to host performances during special night hours every Sunday.
That idea suits Rose just fine. “It was exactly what I wanted it to be,” she said.
