Fuego Coffee Roasters has outgrown its space — again.

For the second time in as many years, Fuego will close its doors and move a short distance away. This time, the third wave coffee shop will move across downtown to a newly renovated space at the corner of Woodbury Boulevard and South Avenue.

"We need to grow and we can't grow in this space," Tony Colon said. "We're looking for something that's long term."

Fuego's new home will be in Woodbury Place, known to many as the former Merkel Donohue building. At 1 Woodbury Blvd., the 20,000-square-foot building was originally constructed in 1870 and is being converted into a mixed-use space with 44 apartments, office and retail space.

Colon finds the location promising. There's a ready-made customer base in residents from the building as well as the nearby Capron Lofts. Geva Theatre Center is just across a parking lot, and the theater rents 11 of the lofts in the building to house artists and actors. In addition, many large companies have offices nearby.

"We've always been a downtown business," Colon said. "We will always be downtown."

The new location will have more than double the space of the current shop, going from roughly 900 square feet with 25 seats to 2,000 square feet with 70 seats. It will also have more outdoor seating and room for special events. Colon plans to expand the food offerings beyond pastries to include light fare such as sandwiches.

Fuego will hold a celebration on Oct. 31, its closing day. It will open in Woodbury Place in November.

Fuego Coffee Roasters opened on Liberty Pole Way in 2013 and moved to 45 Euclid St., near Parcel 5, in 2016. In addition to its main location, it serves coffee in the Boulder Coffee building, near Union Street at the Rochester Public Market, as well as at the Brighton Farmers Market. It also runs Fuego Coffee House in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, staffed by young people who are aging out of an orphanage there.

TRACYS@Gannett.com

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