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KENT, CT – A preferred haunt among java-seeking riders in northwestern Connecticut is being evicted. Kent Coffee & Chocolate must vacate the premises at 8 N. Main St. (Route 7) in downtown by month’s end, and has launched a GoFundMe page seeking $45,000 to move into new quarters up the street.
A message posted atop the candy counter inside the store reports that an eviction notice was received on June 1, and explains “…we are NOT being evicted for any reason other than they do not wish to rent to us any longer. We have been a good tenant and always paid our rent, including this month.”
On the GoFundMe page, Kent Coffee & Chocolate states “…we have to be out by July 1st – our 25th anniversary! Now it’s a serious emergency.”
The page goes on to provide a bit of background: “Our lease expired in August 2015 and has not been renewed by the new owner Hiram Williams of The Kent Barn Shops, despite multiple attempts to obtain a new lease.”
Kent Coffee & Chocolate opened on July 4, 1991, the vision of chef Sandra Champlain, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. With a variety of exquisite chocolate and coffee, the shop became a success. On Sundays, the tables outside are routinely filled with riders who stop to get an infusion of caffeine and to chat.
Kent Coffee & Chocolate has also become ground zero for what has become an annual problem for Kent – excessive summertime noise generated by thoughtless riders whose bikes are adorned with straight exhaust pipes.
The store’s new location could help disperse the din. Kent Coffee & Chocolate is moving into the former Bank of America building at 45 N. Main St. “Our original plan was to move out by Aug. 31 and open on Sept. 1. We no longer have time to do that. We have to do as much as we can and MOVE NOW,” the store’s GoFundMe page states.
Thoughts of socking away funds over the summer evaporated with the eviction notice. The goal now is to quickly raise $45,000. In nine days, $720 has been pledged. “We are calling on our many, many loyal customers to help us out if they can,” the page reports. “We need any and all help at this point. Time is critical while we remodel and outfit the new space for food service, then move in the quickest time possible.”
In what is good news for coffee-swilling riders, the new location will have a public restroom. “We will have a big, unisex, handicapped (compliant) restroom and it now has plumbing, tile and the tile is installed and grouted,” an update on the GoFundMe page reports.
In addition to donating to the GoFundMe page, donations may also be made at Kent Coffee & Chocolate and by mail to P.O. Box 919, Kent, CT 06757 with the notation “For The Big Move.”
Kent Coffee & Chocolate is offering a “benefit program” to donors. Check out the shop’s GoFundMe page, which is linked in the story.
Real pity. Shame on the landlord. (Kent) Coffee and Chocolate is a real asset to Kent. I won’t go in any shops on that site now… How about running a funds for coffee program, I throw in 100 bucks and get a 100 buck coffee credit note?