CHARLEMONT — Although Charlemont’s Wells Provisions might no longer have regular hours, the taste of New Orleans may never have been stronger in western Massachusetts.

The popular café, ice cream shop and liquor store has continued to flourish despite ceasing full-time operation after Columbus Day weekend last October, according to owners Wesley and Levi Janssen. The business, which prides itself on serving signature New Orleans-inspired dishes, has transitioned to a pop-up model. Each of the events held since last fall have each yielded great numbers of customers, the Janssens said.

Wells Provisions, which the Janssens opened at 159 Main St. in July 2021, didn’t scale back after three years due to any shortage of business, according to Wesley Janssen. On the contrary, the popularity of the shop made it difficult for the couple, who are parents of three children ages 8 to 13, to have enough family time.

“We had success, which is awesome. But is success always worth it?” Wesley said. “We adore our family and our kids are the most important things to us in the world.”

This, paired with a “life-changing” leg injury she sustained in March 2023, led to a conversation in which all five members of the Janssen family agreed that a change would be for the better.

Wesley and Levi considered their options. They knew their passion for food service was still there, and being landlords allowed them some financial leeway to get creative with how to pursue it further. They determined that having occasional pop-ups featuring their menu’s “greatest hits” would not only be feasible, but fun and potentially lucrative.

Their intuition proved to be correct. Wells Provisions offered a successful first pop-up at Dare Bottleshop & Provisions in Lenox in early November before returning to their own storefront around a month later for another pop-up. The hometown crowd showed up in a big way for this homecoming, with the line at one point reaching 50 people long and wrapping around the building, Wesley recounted.

“It was like the atmosphere of a party,” she recalled, expressing gratitude for having customers “that truly became friends and family.”

“That’s why we do this,” she continued. “The reason we open Wells Provisions is to make it feel like a party.”

There have been about half a dozen Wells Provisions pop-ups at their Charlemont location and at Berkshire County businesses since last November, Wesley estimated. Their goal is to continue having pop-ups monthly while also catering more events.

They’re also open to ideas for further collaboration. One hope the Janssens have is for other restaurants to hold pop-ups in their space. They encourage interested restaurants to get in touch via email at wellsprovisions@gmail.com.

Otherwise, the Janssens don’t see much else looking different for a while.

“Right now, it’s working terrific for us and we’re really enjoying it, so I don’t see us changing anything anytime soon,” Wesley said of their business model.

For information regarding Wells Provisions’ future pop-ups and other events, visit facebook.com/wellsprovisions or wellsprovisions.com/popups.