Maine Star Coffee Closes Abruptly

Its phone number has been disconnected, its doors are locked and most of the furniture inside the 3,400-square-foot Maine Star Coffee has been removed.

The Jacksonville Road adjacent to the Hatboro Lofts, has closed its doors for good, Fran Carroll, a local musician who had led open mic nights there Saturday nights confirmed on Monday. 

"(The owner) closed the doors for good last Saturday night after the open mic," Carroll told Patch. "I didn't know anything about it until the end of the night."

Two days prior to the closing, owner Dexter Watson, during a separate event at Maine Star, shared with Patch that the coffee shop, which he had hoped would double as a community meeting space and events site, was struggling. 

Watson, a tax preparer for Freedom Tax and Mortgage, said Maine Star's business model was based on selling 200 cups of coffee a day. But, after four months, Watson said Maine Star was only selling half of that. 

Poor sales, coupled with limited customer parking and signage that Watson said was not adequate to bring customers in the door added to the coffeehouse's struggle, he had said. 

"This is not turning a profit, or even breaking even yet," Watson had said. 

After spending $500,000 renovating the space and employing eight workers, Watson had told Patch on Thursday that closing–at least in the immediate future–was not his plan. Instead, Watson said he hoped to schedule more weekday events at the coffee shop. 

"I have a certain commitment," he had said. "I really want as many people from the community to make a personal investment."

Patch was unsuccessful in reaching Watson for comment on Monday.