We’ve gotten so used to hearing about indie coffee shops opening up downtown that it just doesn’t seem right to be reporting the opposite, but its true: a few months after setting up shop in Design Republic, Queen West’s incarnation of Lit Espresso Bar closed down with next to no warning on Friday.
Apparently the closure was related to lease agreement issues, but owners aren’t revealing many details. “It’s not a money thing,” says co-owner Joe Angellotti. “We can’t disclose what happened.” Whatever the reason, it happened fast: Angellotti says the decision to close the shop happened within a 24-hour period.
The closure will have no effect on Lit’s other locations, he says, which are still going strong. And it wasn’t confirmed or denied whether the now-defunct Lit would be re-locating somewhere else.
Still, it was an interesting concept while it lasted. Set inside a furniture store, Lit’s Queen location was furnished, in part, by for-sale furniture. As for Design Republic, it’s still open, sans one espresso bar of course.
For the time being, it looks like the area’s caffeinated set will have to quell their fix by making the not-so-difficult trek to Dark Horse down the street.