Downtown residents may have one fewer coffee shop along Pine Avenue.
Months of lost revenue may prompt Creama Cafe owner Susana Prego to close her 440 Pine Ave. shop.
Costs have been the same, but revenue has been less than half from when she first opened nearly five years ago, she said.
"It's just not adding up, and we just can't afford to do it anymore," she said.
The poor economy, she said, has greatly affected business.
"Customers don't come in as often," she said, "I've asked, 'What's going on?' And they say, 'Oh, I've been laid off."
And customers who do come have drastically changed their buying habits, downgrading from one or two large drinks a day to a small drip coffee twice a week, Prego said.
Stalled projects along the street also haven't helped matters, she said. Prego -- who chose Pine for its beach proximity and Mom-and-Pop vibe -- moved into her space as lofts downtown were being built or planned.
But businesses around her have closed and some projects have not come to fruition.
"I don't think we can afford to wait for the upswing of everything," she said. "Because when it was fine, we were still breaking even pretty much. I don't know how long everything's going to take to roll back, and we're probably talking about a couple of years and to struggle like we're struggling now -- it doesn't make any sense business-wise."
She has tried to drum up business, from in-store movie and open mic nights and discount offerings via Twitter or Facebook to partnering with other downtown businesses.
But nothing seemed to really bring the traffic here, she said.
"And it's very frustrating to hear people walking by, coming in and saying, 'Oh my gosh, I didn't know you were here.'"
Prego said it would be too expensive to move, so relocation is not a viable option. If business doesn't improve, Creama will likely close in the coming months.
Prego is resigned to the fate.
"Even if it does come to an end, it has been a great run and I take so many great experiences from it," she said. "Great friends and amazing customers. It's been great but it's part of the risk of owning a business."
Months of lost revenue may prompt Creama Cafe owner Susana Prego to close her 440 Pine Ave. shop.
Costs have been the same, but revenue has been less than half from when she first opened nearly five years ago, she said.
"It's just not adding up, and we just can't afford to do it anymore," she said.
The poor economy, she said, has greatly affected business.
"Customers don't come in as often," she said, "I've asked, 'What's going on?' And they say, 'Oh, I've been laid off."
And customers who do come have drastically changed their buying habits, downgrading from one or two large drinks a day to a small drip coffee twice a week, Prego said.
Stalled projects along the street also haven't helped matters, she said. Prego -- who chose Pine for its beach proximity and Mom-and-Pop vibe -- moved into her space as lofts downtown were being built or planned.
But businesses around her have closed and some projects have not come to fruition.
"I don't think we can afford to wait for the upswing of everything," she said. "Because when it was fine, we were still breaking even pretty much. I don't know how long everything's going to take to roll back, and we're probably talking about a couple of years and to struggle like we're struggling now -- it doesn't make any sense business-wise."
She has tried to drum up business, from in-store movie and open mic nights and discount offerings via Twitter or Facebook to partnering with other downtown businesses.
But nothing seemed to really bring the traffic here, she said.
"And it's very frustrating to hear people walking by, coming in and saying, 'Oh my gosh, I didn't know you were here.'"
Prego said it would be too expensive to move, so relocation is not a viable option. If business doesn't improve, Creama will likely close in the coming months.
Prego is resigned to the fate.
"Even if it does come to an end, it has been a great run and I take so many great experiences from it," she said. "Great friends and amazing customers. It's been great but it's part of the risk of owning a business."
Karen Robes Meeks came to work for the Press-
Leave a comment