What We do
We happily serve signature sandwiches and fresh baked goods, with a full coffee and espresso menu. We brew single origin Brazilian beans that are roasted in Brooklyn by Kitten Coffee just days before we grind them for you.
We're especially passionate about our rotating menu of personal sized baked goods made from scratch on premise. Our buttermilk biscuits are a must try! Enjoy them oven-heated with honey-butter, or build your favorite sandwich on one, but come early before they sell out!
The comforting smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and rendering bacon fill our shop throughout the day. When you walk in our doors, we want you to feel wrapped in welcome. Supporting local matters to us, our staff matters to us, and of course our customers matter to us. We understand that getting a warm smile with your coffee in the morning makes your day suck a whole lot less.
Origin Story
Building Norma’s was a labor of love for business partners Denise Plowman and Crystal River Williams. In 2012 they were virtual strangers who took a gamble on each other and their dreams. The pair emptied their savings accounts, maxed out their credit cards, and sawed down the old awning with a steak knife duct taped to a broomstick. They DIYed a counter and opened their doors with a few cake stands full of pastries and an espresso machine, never imagining in their wildest dreams that the tiny space would turn into the bustling business that it has become today. In 2022 they expanded Norma’s Corner Shoppe into the Hudson Valley.
The California natives both have pastry arts degrees and a passion for community and approachable comfort food. Their magic lies in their belief that people matter more than policy, and that the quality of products and service are the only marketing strategy worth investing in.
Denise Plowman is a former Marine and single mother who currently resides in The Hudson Valley. She has many years of coffee and baking experience; from small mom and pop shops to baking on the Google campus in California. Several of Norma's signature desserts and savory items have a kick of heat as a nod to her Mexican heritage. You can always count on her having a bottle of hot sauce in her purse and a pun for every occasion.
Crystal River Williams is a SciFi fan and mother of two young men, who has over 30 years of food service and sales experience. As a self proclaimed former "Hippie Kid", her passion for wholesome home cooking and hospitality are evident in Norma’s menu and company culture. In her spare time you can find her studying wine, writing, traveling, or continually renovating her home in Beacon NY.
Who is Norma?
One of the most common questions we are asked is, "who is Norma?". To which Crystal replies, my grandmother. This answer tells you very little about the wonderful woman who inspired the love of food and community behind our shop.
She was the quintessential home-maker; full of joy, warmth and family values. Her smile was contagious and so was her passion for cooking.
We want to take a minute to share a tiny glimpse into her life. Norma fell madly in love with her High School sweetheart, Gilbert Williams. They married at the age of eighteen and had three wonderful children together.
Crystal will never forget her visit with them in 1993, just months before her grandfather passed away. She was snuggled up under a blanket by the fireplace her grandfather had built for Norma as she read from her journal. You would have thought she was reading an excerpt from her newly wed days by the way she gushed, but it was a recent journal entry. Her eyes lit up as she described what a handsome and caring man her husband was and how much she still loved him.
In October of 2011 Norma passed away. We opened our shop just 8 months later. Though she didn't drink coffee for religious reasons, we believe that she would be proud of her name sake and the joy it brings us to remember her on a daily basis.