Brown's Coffee Closes

North City mainstay Brown's Coffee closed last Sunday and for how long is uncertain.

"Honestly I was at risk of working myself to death, and with a new happy marriage and my two sons who need a dad, I just pulled the plug," owner Neal Brown said. "It's been a huge relief."

Brown said the business grew too slowly and by the time it was viable with a steady clientele, "I was like a zombie."

Cafes "are stressful to run," Brown said, and on sites like Yelp cataloguing complaints, "about every fault from tiny to big, it's just thankless."

Some interested parties might want to reopen the shop, but it's unlikely it will be a breakfast, lunch and dinner place again, he said. Probably coffee, soup, sandwich and pastry service would be provided, he said.