From Business Owners to
Property Managers,
Couple Provides Distinct Destinations
By Kaylea M. Hutson-Miller
Inspired by her grandmother and father, who owned a bar and construction business, respectively, Rebecca Robbins stepped out to open Woodstar Café in 2003. After marrying her husband, Dmitri in 2005, he joined the business in 2006.
“I wanted a place where every single type of person would feel a sense of true belonging, like maybe it was their café, too,” Robbins said. “We did this through warm, genuinely kind service, but also by keeping our prices reasonable especially given the quality of the products. We tried to really ‘see’ each customer.”
Her journey began in 1994, when she started working for Scott Rao, owner of Rao’s Coffee in Amherst. She describes his influence as a driving force to her becoming a business owner.
“Scott was only 23 when he opened it,” Robbins said. “Seeing Scott’s success made me feel like a similar result was within reach for me.”
Living “extremely frugally from 1994 until 2003, saving every penny so that I could one day open my own place,” Robbins said, she dreamed about the types of food, baked goods and drinks she would sell, along with how the café would feel, to become a place to “come as you are and be loved as you are.
Robbins said Dmitri helped move the business forward in terms of equipment, technology, policies, systems and connecting with people.
“Dmitri’s favorite part of owning the café is the relationships he’s made with customers and vendors over the years,” Robbins said. “The business has grown over the years. We’ve expanded four times, but the mission, which is to increase joy through pure, handmade foods and kind service, is the same as day one.”
Becoming property managers
Robbins said Woodstar’s location - an old fire station - is integral to its identity.
“As tenants, we worried that someday our lease would not be renewed,” she said. “We were already comfortable owning property because Dmitri had purchased his first rental at 32, and we’d had other properties since.”
Robbins said around Christmas 2008, Dmitri began to ask their then-landlord if the building was for sale. She jokes, “It became a tradition to ask each year. At the end of 2013, he said, ‘Yes.’”
“Property management is a natural extension of our skill sets, particularly, Dmitri’s,” Robbins said. “He loves projects and adventures. Each property is a new chance to dream and a chance to put previously learned skills to new and better use.”
The couple’s property management company is named Traddles, after the character Tommy Traddles in David Copperfield.
“Traddles is the truest friend a person could ever have,” Robbins said. “His integrity and kindness never wavier. He also always has a positive attitude no matter how much adversity comes his way. Traddles has nothing to do with property management, per se, but everything to do with ideals that are important to Dmitri and me.”
Beyond Woodstar Café
The couple sold the café in 2023 to Mark Krause of Esselon Coffee Roasting Company.
Robbins said she knew they found a match with Krause, because of his dedication to local sourcing, handmade foods and excellent service.
“He was already our coffee roaster and we were already his bakers,” she said. “There are so many synergies between the businesses, and we knew the quality of the Woodstar experience would only improve under Mark’s leadership. Mark is excellent at empowering his staff and at creating long-term, good-paying, benefitted jobs with upward mobility. We’ve seen his leadership in action at Woodstar. It is such a blessing to have our business adopted by someone who shares similar values as ours.”
Looking ahead
Robbins said they hope to add at least two additional residential properties to their portfolio and are actively looking for their next project.
They chose to live in Northampton because of its rich cultural opportunities, along with its perfect blend of urban and rural amenities. They said the Chamber’s work at promoting Northampton as a destination for tourists, as well as the staff’s advocacy at the state and local level, was another plus.
“We knew we could always count on the Chamber,” Robbins said. “[Now] as property owners, the Chamber supports us by working to create a thriving downtown. This will benefit the people who come to live and play in Northampton and reflect well on our investments.”
