PITTSFIELD – It was standing room only this past weekend at The Chalice, A Virtual Cafe, which opened Saturday to rave reviews by parents and teenagers alike.

“I have fallen in love with these teenagers,” owner and operator Kristina Lord-Linde said Tuesday. “There is absolutely nothing for them to do here. So I created this space.”

Lord-Linde said her intent was to provide a safe space for teens that is both fun and sophisticated. By day, the Chalice is a place for playing video games, watching television, studying or reading, or just getting together with friends for a quiet game of chess. By night, it is a teen night club, complete with live music.

“I look at this entire cafe as a stage,” she said. “It can become whatever the teenagers need it to be. These are good kids, but with too much time on their hands, there can be problems.”

Lord-Linde added that she already was “blown away by how the kids have taken ownership. Yesterday I had some volunteering to wash the windows.”

The cafe owner said she was inspired to create the cafe based on Central Perk in the “Friends” television sitcom. “They had a big, comfy couch and coffee, and it became such a gathering place,” she said. “Kids are seeking that kind of atmosphere.”

Once a dull brown building that housed a driver’s education school, the Chalice has been transformed. Its majestic purple color outside continues inside, set off by a black-and-white checked floor and blue carpeting.

Wicker chairs hang from the ceiling; a swing is in one corner. Tables and chairs provide places for chess or eating. A plump purple futon overflowing with toss pillows begs for conversation or reading. Another corner houses computers and a small reference library, the perfect spot for doing homework. Wireless service will arrive this fall.

There is a stage, graced with a big screen television that can be removed for performances. Outside, bordered by noise-cushioning screens and small flower gardens, is a gazebo – a grown-up setting for area teens to relax and feel they are in a club atmosphere. The area is encircled by a lattice-topped fence that allows people to see in but keeps sound muffled.

“We are going to have ‘Monday Night Football,’ theme nights, fund raisers for local groups such as the fire department,” Lord-Linde said. “It is my intent to have the cafe become a big part of the community.”

On Saturday mornings, the Chalice will host a live television show for children. “This will be created by local kids – they will do the script writing and acting,” Lord-Linde said. “We are collaborating with WMCI to have it filmed for later showing. The goal is to create a learning video studio.”

Upstairs at the Chalice is a series of video games. Six televisions are hooked up to either Play Stations or X-Boxes. “Sixteen players can compete on the same game at the same time,” she said.

To control the content of what players are seeing, Lord-Linde said each player must be signed up as a member, at no charge, by a parent.

“I want parents to feel their kids have a safe place to be. It is important for parents to come in and check us out,” she said.

The Chalice is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day, with Sundays reserved for adults. Admission is free until 8 p.m. after which a small cover charge is assessed, $3 on weekdays and $5 on weekends. Admission includes a ticket that can be used toward a beverage, food or games.

Video game gallery admission is 10 cents a minute. The cafe is handicapped accessible and serves beverages from Starbucks coffee and espresso to smoothies, and snacks from popcorn to home baked goods and Mexican fare. The cafe also can be rented for private parties.