PORTLAND, Maine — Coffee By Design announced Monday it will permanently close its store on Congress Street in Portland.
The store, located at 620 Congress St., was the company's founding location nearly 30 years ago, Coffee By Design said in a news release.
"I am immensely grateful for the support of our customers, our dedicated employees, and our partners throughout the years. To our true believers - you know who you are - you have been patrons and become dear friends. We are honored to have you in our lives," Coffee By Design Owner Mary Allen Lindemann said in the release Monday. "While our Congress Street coffeehouse is closing its doors, the memories we have created together will live on."
Lindemann said the closure is not related to the announcement last week that the company will work with the Laborers' Union in support of its baristas, and that the performance of the coffeehouse on Congress Street has been under evaluation for a long time.
"The decision to close the Congress Street coffeehouse was not made lightly, and it comes after years of this location barely breaking even due to a combination of factors, including never making a true recovery after COVID, the loss of the Freeport coffeehouse following L.L. Bean’s decision to renovate and not extend the lease, and the changing retail landscape," Lindemann added.
The company stated its Congress Street employees will continue to work at its India Street and Diamond Street locations.
"Coffee By Design will remain a catalyst for positive change and solidarity," the release said.