Cape Girardeau coffee shop closures highlight small business

The owner of The Ground-a-Bout announced the closure of all four of its coffee shops on Tuesday. In a social media post, the owner stated, "The economic environment is no place for a small business anymore."

Other business owners in downtown Cape Girardeau, Missouri, say the shutdown reflects a wider, troubling trend. They point to a sustained lack of foot traffic in the area.

Challenges of location and local support

Karla Cornelius owns El Kolibri Coffee and Curiosities, located on the second floor of the Indie House. She said customers must make a significant effort to find her shop. "You got to come to the second flight of stairs to come to my coffee shop. So it's a challenge," Cornelius said.

Despite being blocks from Southeast Missouri State University, local support has not driven business as expected. Cornelius reported that 50% of her customers are from out of town. She said visitors who find the shop via Google outnumber local patrons, even after four years in business.

Dependence on the academic calendar

Business for Cornelius fluctuates sharply with the university's schedule. She noted a definite drop in customer numbers during the summer when students leave town.

Laurie Ray, owner of Annie Lauries, observed that even with students back, foot traffic has not rebounded to previous levels. "Typically when the college students come back, it's really busy, and the parents are in town, but we have seen a little bit slower traffic lately than in previous years," Ray said.

Ray emphasized the critical need for consistent community support from a business's inception. "You've got to support them from the get-go," she stated. "If you don't support them from the beginning, unfortunately some people are like, oh, I've never been in there, and the store is closing."

A long-term view of downtown

Despite the current difficulties, Karla Cornelius remains optimistic about the future of downtown Cape Girardeau. She was a foreign exchange student in the area in 1999 and recalls a deserted downtown. Cornelius finds it exciting that there are now businesses and a main street with people looking to grow the area. However, she believes there is still a long way to go.

The closure trend extended beyond coffee shops this week. Another small business, The Juicery on Cape La Croix, also announced on Tuesday it is closing its brick-and-mortar location. It will transition to operating solely as a pop-up.