Dam Good Times

Two years ago, Anthony Keane and Michael McMahon were thinking about opening a burger joint.

When they came across a vacant storefront on Northampton Street in Holyoke, however, the location suggested something else: a cafe.

It wouldn't be the first time their plans changed. While remodeling the building for its eventual opening, they planned on calling it the Corner Cafe. But one day, during that lengthy, labor-intensive process, one asked the other over the phone how "the damn cafe" was coming along.

Suddenly, they had a new name--the Dam Cafe.

"Clearly, we're not even near the dam," said Celeste Long, who manages the cafe, referring to Holyoke's …