The Buzz Stop cafe is closing its doors next Wednesday after
struggling to stay afloat in a sea of Starbucks.
Morgan Hill – The Buzz Stop cafe is closing its doors next Wednesday after struggling to stay afloat in a sea of Starbucks.
“The money’s run out,” said owner Linda Sarll, who runs the shop on the corner of Second Street and Monterey Road with her husband Buzz for the past 10 months. “It’s cheaper for us to close our doors than to stay open.”
A lack of customer support in town with five Starbucks led to the decision to close the shop at noon next Wednesday, Sarll said. Even though the $2,500-per-month lease lasts until Sept. 1, she said it would be cheaper to close now and look for a buyer than to stay open any longer.
Loyal customers are having a hard time swallowing the news.
“I’ll miss it,” said Danielle Cardenas, who was spending her lunch break at the cafe Thursday afternoon. “I come here everyday. It’s a totally different atmosphere than other coffee houses. It’s like a family.”
Other customers feared the Sarlls’ departure signals more tough times for locally owned downtown businesses. In March, Jody’s Junction, a family-owned stationary store on Second Street, closed its doors after learning a Staples would be opening on Cochrane Road later this year. Additionally, South Valley Bicycles, located caddy-corner from the Buzz Stop, is bailing out of downtown.
“Any time a family business closes up it takes something away from the community,” said Salli Welsh, who visited the Buzz Stop Thursday for a lunchtime meeting with colleagues. “Morgan Hill is such a charming place and mom-and-pops make it so. When they leave, we lose some of that quality.”
The Sarlls have been struggling to get the cafe off the ground since purchasing it last summer from BookSmart owners Brad and Cinda Jones who operated it as the Good Life Cafe. A lack of customers and an ongoing legal dispute with business partners led to the shop’s demise.
“We don’t have any regrets,” Linda said. “We met so many wonderful people … it’s been a lot of fun.”
