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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Cursive Coffee Closes its Doors

On Wednesday, Jan. 14, Cursive Coffee posted on its Facebook page that it would be closing its doors as of Saturday, February 21. Located at 58 Main Street, this progressive espresso bar will shut down just eight months after it’s opening on Friday, June 13.

Jim Osborn and Sam Clifton, who met working at Uncommon Grounds, co-founded Cursive Coffee in June 2013. After running a successful pop-up espresso bar inside of Barge Canal Market, an antique shop in Burlington, the team was ready to advance their business to the next level.

“What sincerely makes our product unique,” Jim Osborn articulates, “is a relentless emphasis on transparent quality. We buy exceptional coffee, roast it with neurotic affection, and do our best to ensure that its flavor profile evokes what makes it inherently special and absolutely delicious.”

With their success building, Cursive Coffee caught the attention of Anne Barakat, a Middlebury-based architect and designer, who was in the process of launching Boo + Roxy, a design collaborative. Together, the two companies launched their Main Street storefront to combine a collaborative workspace with an artisanal espresso bar.

Alexis Hughes ’17.5 expressed her appreciation for the coffee shop. “I like Cursive Coffee because it is an atmosphere that isn’t present in any other part of Middlebury – this new-age kind of coffee shop that’s simple and quiet, reminiscent of some of my favorite places back home.”

Sue Stroud-Spyers a Middlebury resident who works at the local library, Sweet Cecily, and takes classes at CCV, voiced a different sentiment. “When Cursive Coffee opened I wanted to try it out. I went twice, but it was closed each time I went, even though it was during the middle of business hours. Carols has always been more convenient for me, so I just went back to my normal routine and sort of forgot about it.”

Despite its initial promise, Cursive Coffee will be closing its doors because its owners were unable to negotiate reasonable terms for the renewal of their lease; its closing sparks questions about the town of Middlebury’s ability to create lasting upward mobility for its local businesses.

Jim Osborn describes the uphill battle for small businesses as “very unpoetic,” and further suggests, “it’s the sort of situation that forces many businesses to vacate their storefronts prematurely. Increasing expenses at a rate that is grossly disproportionate to rate of growth stymies financial sustainability before it has an earnest chance to be assessed for future viability.”

Nancie Dunn, owner of Sweet Cecily, whose store has been in business on Main Street for 28 years offered what she believes, is required for a local business owner to find success in Middlebury. “I think in general you have to know your market and understand the town. You have to have a good product mix and be on top of the vibe of the town. You have to know where you are and what the community is like, and realize that you need to serve and appeal to a mix of locals, tourists, and college-aged students.”

Since announcing the store’s closing, Osborn has had time to reflect on the store’s identity and possibly what went wrong.

“I don’t think that we were truly given enough time to garner widespread community support. Furthermore, we have always been aware and unapologetic about our oddities- lack of food, lack of drip coffee, lack of tea, lack of wifi, lack of ample seating, lack what we perceive as frivolous appeasements to arbitrary conceptions of what a café needs to contain- but all of this was completely deliberate. These choices may have lost us business, but I don’t we had enough time to be sure. Either way, they were fundamental to our identity.”

Jamie Gaucher, Middlebury’s first-ever director of business development, whose role marks the mutual effort of both the College and the town to bring new economic vitality and more jobs to the town of Middlebury, offers his own comments on the vitality of local businesses in Middlebury.

“I think it demonstrates that Middlebury is not unlike any other community in Vermont or New England where some businesses experience exponential growth and some struggle or are unsuccessful,” said the New York native. “I remain convinced that Middlebury is and will continue to be a place where entrepreneurs can be successful.”

Cursive Coffee’s unique identity only targeted a niche market, and although it did create a particular, dedicated following, its expensive prices and uncompromising style did not accommodate to the larger community.

Despite Cursive Coffee’s short-lived career in Middlebury, Mr. Gaucher remains hopeful. “I don’t anticipate any negative effect associated with the unfortunate closing of this business,” said the New York native. “Middlebury’s designated downtown district has experienced change over the years and consequently, I’m hopeful that the space will be occupied by another business shortly.”

 

 


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