AUBURN - In November, Yesteryears Coffee House & Cafe will celebrate its third anniversary.

In those three years, owner Kathy Naumann has seen her business grow steadily, attracting more and more customers to the cozy cafe, decorated with comfortable old furniture and knickknack. Old records and black and white photos adorn the walls.

But when she first opened her doors, it wasn't always like this.

“When we were opened, they were still doing the State Street construction,” Naumann recalled. “So at first, things were a little slow.

With all the construction going on, she believes people didn't like the idea of walking through “all the dirt and dust to come into a cafe to sit down and have coffee or lunch.”

But since then, business has been good.

“I think it has all been word of mouth really,” Naumann said. “We are always talking and joking (with our customers) and on a first name basis with all our customers. We like that; we like creating that kind of atmosphere, and I think our customers do too.”

Naumann, a Baldwinsville native, moved to Auburn 10 years ago when a job opportunity came her way, but after years of working somewhere else, she decided it was time to strike out on her own.

“I just decided it was time to try my own thing,” Naumann said. “I wanted to try and see how it goes.”

This endeavor started when Nauman introduced an Internet cafe, The Garden Cafe, on Genesee Street. After a good start, timing just didn't seem to be in her favor.

“We started strong,” Naumann said. “But after 9/11, I just noticed that things started to take a dive for one reason or another, and we had to close down.”

But Naumann was not to be detoured; she used this set back as a learning experience. “I realized it wasn't us,” Naumann said. “It wasn't the food; it wasn't what we were doing. I realized that all of that was good; it was just timing. The restaurant business is a really different animal, and I learned a lot from that experience.”

And Naumann was able to take that learning experience and turn it into practical application when it came time to open Yesteryears.

From the beginning, she wanted to create an environment that was both welcoming and comfortable.

“Everything in here is really junk,” Naumann joked. #&Everything in here is old. All the tables, all the chairs. But they are comfortable. The tables and chairs, the old records, the keys on the wall - these are all conversation starters. Everybody has a story to tell and loves to talk, and everything in here will get someone talking. We love that.“

“It's the nicest little place I've seen,” said patron Bill Lowery of Auburn who comes to the cafe about three of four times a week. “All I have is a cup of coffee. But it's a nice place to sit, relax and read the paper.”

Also featured in the cafe is a wall display changed monthly by Ormie King, featuring old pictures and news clippings that many people stop in just to look at and discuss.

“There is history all over the wall,” Lowery pointed out.

But the cafe is more than just an interesting conversation piece. Naumann has strived to make it a place that offers not only good conversation but good food and beverages as well.

“It is all homemade,” Naumann said. “That is really important to us. We make two soups every day; nothing is out of a can. And a big thing is the turkey. It is real off the bone turkey, just like you'd make after Thanksgiving, people really seem to like that.”

Yet another unique feature of Yesteryears in its daily deals - not daily specials.

“On Mondays you can come in and play a game. You draw a card and whatever the value of the card is we multiply by 10 cents, and that is how much you get off your meal. So if you draw a nine, you get 90 cents off; but if you get the ace, you get your meal for free,” Naumann said.

Sharon Adams, an employee for two years, added, “just last week we had all four aces drawn.” And that equals four free meals.

All year the cafe offers coffee, teas and other hot beverages like cappuccino and espresso. But with the warmer summer months, it is the milkshakes that are a big draw.

“My favorite item is our milkshakes,” Adams admitted.

With options like chocolate cherry and almond joy, these shakes are not the ordinary ice cream and milk.

“Those really get people coming in,” Naumann said. “As soon as it started getting warm we had people coming in and asking when we were going to start making those again.”

Naumann said that she has been happy with the way the cafe has established itself over the past few years, and she hopes to maintain the fun, lively atmosphere she has created.

“We're having a lot of fun here,” Naumann said. “That is the most important thing. I love what we are doing, and I hope that anyone who hasn't tried us yet will stop by and at least give us a try.”