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Photo by Beth Perdue/SCBB Center Cafe owner, Carol Fisher, gets ready for the cafe's one-year birthday celebration. Designed with eco-friendly principles, the cafe has become a neighborhood favorite in New Bedford's South End.

By Beth Perdue

June 22, 2012 1:56 PM

NEW BEDFORD A sustainably-focused eco-caf in the city's South End celebrated its first full year in business in mid-June, holding a neighborhood party on a tree-top patio above the caf.

Owned and designed by Carol Fisher, the Center Caf is a small coffeehouse offering coffee, ice cream, breakfast and lunch items in a mixed residential and small business neighborhood close to New Bedford's beaches.

Fisher is also the owner of Effortless Design, a Charlestown-based design/build business that offers architectural, engineering, and construction management services. She tapped her design skills and interest in creating sustainable businesses when designing the New Bedford caf.

"A lot of (our sustainability work) comes from having a neighborhood focus, of having a place in the neighborhood, that people can walk to as an alternative to fast food," said Fisher.

Many customers typically come from within a four-to-five-block radius of the caf, Fisher said, allowing them to walk there. Being in a city neighborhood helps her business flourish while the cafe's presence also benefits the neighborhood, by adding a desirable amenity.

"People are glad that there's a little neighborhood caf when they move in or when they're looking at buying," said Fisher. "It really says something about the neighborhood."

Originally posted here:

Eco-café celebrates successful first year