Kafka's Main Street will be closing its doors this month

It’s been a rough week for businesses on Main Street in Vancouver.

Early on Wednesday, Kafka’s, the beloved Vancouver coffee chain, announced on Instagram that it would be closing its Main Street location – the first of its three locations.

“With an unsustainable rent increase and the relentless disruptive construction on our front doorstep, we have made the incredibly difficult decision to close the original Kafka’s,” it shared.

You might also like:

The cafe, located just off of the busy Main and Broadway corridor, had been dealing with the loud and disruptive construction of the new SkyTrain line for the past several months.

“It’s straight-up hard making a small independent business work in this climate.”

The cafe had been at its 2525 Main Street location for the last 12 years – a staple of the Mount Pleasant community since 2010.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kafka’s Coffee Roasting (@kafkascoffeetea)

“Our first café was born out of a passion for quality coffee and a deep love for the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood, and you welcomed us with open arms,” it said.

The owners haven’t shared an exact date of their closing quite yet, but mentioned that it would be mid-to-late April and that they would post their closing date soon.

“The good news is that our staff are staying on and you can find them and our coffee at our Great Northern Way location (only a 15-minute walk or a five-minute drive away), in Gastown, and soon at our new Park shop,” the post went on.

It’s a definite blow to Main Street’s independent food scene, as Slickity Jim’s, The Boxcar, and Pizzeria Farina all announced imminent closings in the last week.

The good news is that when one door closes, another opens, as they say: a new Kafka’s location will be opening in the new Smithe Richards park in Yaletown sometime this spring.