By Ashley M. Casey
Associate Editor
Facing a loss of $25,000 in revenue, Café at 407 in Liverpool has decided to close until the end of the pandemic. The last day of business for the café, which supports the nonprofit organization Ophelia’s Place, will be Sunday, Dec. 20.
“In order to redirect our efforts towards finding new ways to keep Ophelia’s Place going, our hearts regret to share that Sunday, Dec. 20, will be the café‘s last day open until we get to the other side of COVID,” read a Dec. 10 post on Café at 407’s Facebook page.
Café at 407 normally provides 35% of the annual funding for Ophelia’s Place, which connects people to support groups and treatment options for eating disorders.
The café closed for three months earlier this year “in an effort to streamline and re-envision our business,” but even after reopening, the eatery is facing financial struggles.
“With COVID cases rising in the county, the café has felt the impacts of this. In addition to the increased health risks to our staff and community, business has slowed to a point where we’re facing operating at a loss. To put it into perspective: when we look at this year compared to last, the proceeds from the café to Ophelia’s Place have been impacted by -$25,000,” read the café’s Facebook post.
In August, the Central New York Community Foundation awarded Ophelia’s Place a $30,000 operational grant to keep the doors open.
“We had a huge menu before which was delicious but also hard to execute. We’ve tried to streamline it to make it more sustainable for us from a labor perspective and a cost perspective,” Holly Lowery, chief operating officer of Ophelia’s Place, told the Star-Review in August.
Lowery said demand for the services Ophelia’s Place provides has surged during the pandemic. Attendance for virtual support groups has increased as more people struggle with social isolation.
In its Facebook post, the café offered patrons tips on how to support Ophelia’s Place and plan for the eatery’s post-pandemic return. The café suggested buying a gift card for future use, shopping the café’s mini-market of homemade local goodies, or ordering “take-and-bake” kits of scones and other baked goods. The kits can be kept in the freezer until the customer decides to bake them.
“Tip till it hurts — all of our tips go back to Ophelia’s Place, and help to fill that $25,000 gap,” added the post.
On Dec. 11, the café posted a screenshot of a digital receipt from a patron who left a $500 tip.
“Please use the coffee money to buy coffee for your customers today. Please use the tip to help your special café,” read a note accompanying the transaction.
Café at 407 is located at 407 Tulip St. in the village of Liverpool. Visit opheliasplace.org to make a donation or learn more about the organization’s services.
