PORTSMOUTH � Breaking New Grounds, the iconic Market Square coffeehouse, is shutting down.

Tuscan Market has bought the building located at 14 Market Square that has been home to the coffee shop for the last 15 years. The company plans to launch an "open air market" in the space that mirrors its Salem location, according to Joe Faro, whose title with the company is chief food taster of Tuscan Brands.

Faro promises the Portsmouth venue will retain the outdoor seating that has drawn locals downtown for a generation, as well as new features aimed at keeping the heart of downtown vibrant. It is slated for a spring opening.

Tuscan Kitchen already operates a restaurant on Lafayette Road in Portsmouth that will remain open and add banquet space, he said.

"We hope our revamped open-air Tuscan Market will serve as a destination for the local and tourist communities coming together to share in the finest artisan Italian offerings including housemade salami, artisan breads, pastry, gelato and premier imported Italian coffee both in a cafe and marketplace setting," Faro said. "Tuscan Market�s current location at 581 Lafayette Road will become a banquet event center able to accommodate up to 200 people which will open in the fall. Our restaurant, Tuscan Kitchen, will remain in its current location.�

Matt Govoni, owner of Breaking New Grounds (BNG), said the decision to sell was a "long thought out one, and very hard to make." The business will officially close on Jan. 3.

"We made the decision in the fall feeling it was time," said Govoni. "We have been here a long time, working 16-hour days, open for 363 days a year. My family and I have never taken a vacation longer than one week and maybe that is what we will do first. Long term, I haven't figured out what's next. I plan to take a step back and look at my future. I have discussed with the new owners what will happen here, and I think our customers will like it."

Govoni said he met with each of his employees individually, to let them know what was going to happen. He said he values them all and wants the best for them.

"I have no plans to pull up roots," said Govoni, who lives in Greenland. "I have a daughter who is a senior in high school and a son who is studying at UNH."

As people heard the news on Saturday, many bemoaned the loss of a prominent local landmark and gathering space.

Amanda Goss and Tara Rix are Portsmouth residents and good friends. They and their small children spend many hours at BNG.

"I moved here 15 years ago and I consider this place a Portsmouth institution," said Rix. "In the summer it's a great place to be, but even in the winter; we come here for coffee and treats and always run into friends and neighbors."

Goss talked about the hurricane in Portsmouth several years ago as a way of showing how much a part of the fabric of Portsmouth BNG has become.

"All the businesses down here were closed because of the weather," said Goss. "Here, they were open and brewing coffee for the locals."

Rye resident Alex Zadeh said he has been coming to BNG for at least 12 years. On Saturday, he was handing out his many punched club cards for free coffee.

"You come here to meet friends," said Zadeh. "Everyone comes here. I have met friends here and made new friends. I will miss this place."

Tom Barry of Kittery called BNG an institution.

"This place got me through my graduate degree," said Barry. "I think it has become the heart of the community."

"I just heard about it, and I have so many memories here," said Priscilla Ford of Kittery, Maine. "I really hope something similar ends up here."

Faro, who studied at UNH, expressed a deep love for Portsmouth and the New Hampshire Seacoast.

"To be able to do something downtown is an honor," said Faro. "I am kind of an architect geek and I love that building. I think I am blessed and humbled to be going there to become a larger part of this community. We will offer an old world market and cafe. People will absolutely still be able to sit outdoors in the square."

Faro said his plans are in the permitting process right now. He said if all goes well, he hopes to begin construction with an eye toward a late spring opening.

BNG first broke the news on its Facebook page. The Durham Breaking New Grounds location will remain open.

Breaking New Grounds Properties Inc. has owned the 9,317-square-foot building at the heart of downtown Portsmouth since Sept. 26, 2008. The building's 2018 assessed value is $1,848,500. No documentation of a sale has been filed in Rockingham County deed records as of yet.

A second Portsmouth coffee bar also plans to close as of 5 p.m. on Sunday. "We will be here all weekend, so please find the time to stop in and see us if you can," the company said in a Facebook post. The post did not indicate why Profile was closing.

Profile's post added, "We want to thank all our loyal customers who have supported us in our 3.5 years of business. We have had a lot of fun getting to know you all and building a real feeling of community, even in 'new' Portsmouth. We will miss seeing you."

The Breaking New Grounds Facebook announcement has received hundreds of responses already.

"It has been a great pleasure to know all the people of and visitors to Portsmouth through the years," the post said. "We have watched kids grow up in our store (our own included), seen marriage proposals, first dates, employees get married and start families, countless friendships form, milestones and occasions celebrated ... we could go on and on. It has been wonderful to be part of all of your lives and we are forever thankful to all of our staff and customers. Please stop by to say goodbye to our caf� over the next few days."

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