A friendship between car enthusiasts formed at the original Cars & Coffee location in Yorktown has turned a former Anheuser Busch beer distributor warehouse in Peekskill into a car lover’s paradise. The June purchase of the Bertoline building by Steve DiPaolo has resulted in a permanent home for Cars & Coffee, founded by Basil Kazepis, as well as the creation of a storage facility for luxury, high-end cars.    

Since 2020, Westchester Cars & Coffee has made Peekskill their home. In the four years the car group has been in Peekskill since coming from Yorktown, the group has embedded itself into the fabric of the City. From day one, founder Basil Kazepis led the Westchester Cars & Coffee group in an annual Cars & Coffee with Chiefs, holiday Toy Drive and Thanksgiving Food Drive where all donations stay within the Peekskill community. In addition, when SPARC, an organization based in Yorktown that provides recreational activities for people with special needs, recently asked Kazepis if could bring one of his cars to the SPARC location for their prom so kids who were attending could take pictures with cool cars, he did not hesitate or blink an eye. Kazepis brought his Z06 and one of the directors of SPARC brought a Porsche to the event. 

The community outreach of Westchester Cars & Coffee has been an asset to the City of Peekskill. But it is the cars and their owners gathering every single Sunday, bringing people from all over the Hudson Valley, to enjoy a few hours hanging out with car enthusiasts that gives people a rewarding experience. 

Since he was a teen, Basil Kazepis has had a passion for cars. One of his dreams was to get together with other passionate car guys, talk about their experiences, show off their cars, while having a cup of coffee. This dream became a reality in 2012 when Kazepis and a group of others began gathering in the parking lot of the Dunkin’ Donuts in Yorktown located in the BJ’s Shopping Plaza every Sunday. Thus, Westchester Cars & Coffee was born. 

As word spread of the car group, so too did the amount of participants and people stopping by to check out the cars while having a cup of coffee. On one of those Sunday mornings in the early days of the group, an fellow wearing a Royal Coach Lines jacket stopped by and began talking cars. Kazepis welcomed the fellow and offered to buy him a cup of coffee. The two began talking about their experiences and their love and passion for cars. That conversation ultimately brought the two together sparking a close friendship that has lasted over a decade. What Kazepis did not know when he first met DiPaolo, but later found out, was that DiPaolo was the owner of Royal Coach Lines, one of the largest school contractors in Westchester County specializing in the transportation for both the private and public sectors throughout the tri-state area

The car group continued to meet in Yorktown but they outgrew their space. Seeking out a larger space, Basil worked out an agreement with the City of Peekskill to use the parking lot on Water Street next to Homestyle Desserts. In March of 2020 the group made Peekskill their official home.

As the Cars & Coffee group continued to grow in popularity, Kazepis began looking for a more suitable place in Peekskill for the group to meet in a permanent location. As fate would have it, DiPaolo was looking for a space for a car storage facility. 

The friends did not have to look hard, nor far and wide. Last year, as the Peekskill Herald reported, after 90 years in business, D. Bertoline & Sons sold their Anheuser Busch distributorship to Dana Distributors. The 72,000-square-foot building was constructed in 1986 and an addition was added in 2012. After D. Bertoline & Sons sold their distributorship, they offered the 5.4 acre property and the warehouse for sale. 

The two saw that not only would it fit DiPaolo’s car storage business, but Kazepis could also move Cars & Coffee and use it as a permanent home. The key to Westchester Cars & Coffee moving to the new location was also working very closely with Louie Lanza, an owner of the Factoria, located next door on John Walsh Blvd., so the group would be able to utilize the Factoria parking lot spots if there was a need for Cars & Coffee parking. 

This past spring, DiPaolo bought the land and warehouse at 7 John Walsh Blvd. As the Herald reported, the land and building were purchased on June 5, 2024 for $10 million according to records filed with the Westchester County Clerk. 

DiPaolo intends to turn the former warehouse, which was in great condition, into a high end car garage  called HQ Auto Vault. The Auto Vault would be a place for people to store a multitude of cars from classic to the luxurious in a 24/7, climate controlled, high security facility. The tentative opening date is set for October. 

HQ Auto Vault is intending to use half of the 72,000 square foot building as a car storage facility complete with a showroom and a hospitality suite where the business can host special events for members. In the remaining roughly 35,000 square feet, DiPaolo is exploring the idea of creating a multilevel, indoor/outdoor Go Kart race track. The track would be mostly indoors, but would also integrate the old loading docks for the racers to exit and enter back into the warehouse. 

Once DiPaolo signed the purchase papers, he called Kazepis and informed him that he could officially move the Westchester Cars & Coffee group to the new location. 

The first meet of Westchester Cars & Coffee at the new location at 7 John Walsh Boulevard occurred in early June. In speaking with the Herald, Kazepis said he noticed “more families with kids and people without cars in the show have been attending since the move.” He has noticed that the people who are attending are enjoying the warm environment created by the group. He said many people are showing up who just want to walk around, interact, enjoy a coffee and talk cars. Kazepis has been especially happy with the families that have been showing up showing that this car meet and this group is a family friendly event where everyone is welcome. 

The synergy that the HQ Auto Vault and Westchester Cars & Coffee have compliment each other extremely well. With the possible addition of the Go Kart Race Track, the synergy with SPINS at the Factoria, there could be a revitalization of the southern end of John Walsh Boulevard. In the future, Westchester Cars & Coffee and HQ Auto Vault are looking to work together to create an indoor/outdoor car show and additional special events. 

The first of those special events will occur this Sunday, August 18th when Westchester Cars & Coffee welcomes Rivian to the car meet. Rivian is an exclusive, high end, luxury all electric car manufacturer. They will be bringing a few of their exclusive lineup for those in attendance not only to see up close and personal the future of luxurious electric cars, but also to allow attendees to test drive a few of the cars they will be bringing.  This collaboration is in partnership with the newest and closest  Rivian Dealership that will be opening in Rockland County. Plans are also in the works for Land Rover and Jaguar to attend the Westchester Cars & Coffee meet in the very near future as well. 

For the most up to date information visit the Westchester Cars & Coffee website, Facebook page and YouTube channel. Also keep your eyes open for the annual Cars and Coffee with Chiefs, the annual Toy Drive and the annual Food Drive later this year in October and November.