Photo by Walker Evans.

Exactly ten years ago, the Short North was radically changed when the I-670 cap opened, bridging the former highway gulch that separated the neighborhood from Downtown, adding new stores, shops, restaurants and other businesses to the area. MoJoe Lounge was a new bar-cafe hybrid concept from the creators of Cup O Joe that opened as one of the original tenants of “The Cap”, but that business will be closing its doors tomorrow following the expiration of its original 10 year lease.

“After the economic recession and the changes to the parking situation in the Short North we never really recovered at that location,” says Cup O Joe President Mark Swanson, which also owns that Stauf’s Coffee Roasters brand. “We’ll be wrapping things up this weekend, with Sunday as our final day.”

One of the biggest parking changes that Swanson is referring to is the loss of the nearby surface lot that closed permanently in August 2013 to make way for The Joseph hotel, which is slated to open in January. That development includes a new 250-space parking garage across the street, which has not opened yet. Additional parking challenges come from rush-hour restrictions and valet restrictions placed on parking meters located on The Cap during prime business hours.

“We will still have a presence in the area through our new North Market Stauf’s location, so we’re really happy about that,” added Swanson. “We’ll be concentrating on our in-shop roasting efforts as well as from-scratched baked goods at all of our stores.”

Swanson said that business at the new North Market Stauf’s has gone well since opening last month, and that the rebranded Stauf’s renovation in German Village has also been welcomed by the neighborhood since reopening. 2014 has been a transformative year for the company’s retail operations, which has also seen the closures of locations at Easton Town Center, Bexley and Port Columbus.

For more information, visit www.staufs.com.

For ongoing discussion on Stauf’s expansions, CLICK HERE to visit our Messageboard.