Blue State Coffee is closing its Hartford location at 777 Main St., the owner of the high-rise building in which it leases space confirmed Wednesday morning.
Employees were notified Monday that the cafe would close at 5 p.m. Thursday.Â
Located in the former Bank of America building in the heart of downtown, Blue State Coffee opened in 2015. It covers about 1,400 square feet and seats 50 people.Â
Blue State Coffee was among the first tenants of the building, which was converted into 285 luxury apartments by Westport architect-developer Bruce Becker.
Becker, who owns the building, said another operator has been lined up to take over the coffee shop and expand its menu.
He said he agreed to terms with the new operator and that more details will be announced soon.Â
Blue State Coffee, which is family owned, calls itself a socially conscious business created to effect positive change. Since the business was founded in 2004, it has donated more than $1 million to local nonprofit organizations, according to its website. It operated nine cafes in three states at its peak.
In October, the Yale Daily News reported that Blue State Coffee would close three of its four locations in New Haven.
The remaining cafe on Orange Street, along with one in Providence, will close on Thursday, the CEO of Blue State Coffee LLC, Carolyn Greenspan, said in an email. Although the company will no longer operate any cafes, the coffee will be available to order on its website for a limited time.
“We are grateful to the communities we have been part of, our wonderful customers, and our amazing managers and baristas for helping us fulfill our mission,” Greenspan said.
