The Spring Mill Café consists of two buildings located next to the Spring Mill Creek; the rural corner is at the intersection of Barren Hill Road and River Road. The restaurant itself was built in 1831 as the general store and post office for the town of Spring Mill. The farmhouse was built in the 1840s as storage and stables for the store and its presiding family.  In later years, the main building served as the local candy store, thrift shop then antique store. The country farmhouse was converted into a living space in the 1950s, and was also a yarn store that provided knitting and sewing classes for the community.  Starting in the late 1800s Barren Hill road was a vibrant artistic community with painters, musicians and sculptors.  They even had their own ski slope that is still in operation today!  Part of what attracted Michele Haines to the area was that European artistic feeling. She recalls first driving down the winding road (before much development) and feeling like she was in the French county side.

The Café began in 1978 in the little back room of the present restaurant with five tables, serving lunches of light French country food. Next the deck was added and the Café began serving one dinner per month. The next expansion of the Spring Mill Café took over the former antique store in the front of the building, and eventually expanded service to dinner five days a week. The entire property, including the farmhouse was eventually utilized, and expanded to six days a week including lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch.  In 1978, who would have thought a French BYO would flourish in Conshohocken!