Staff, customers "shocked" by sudden closure of Ann Arbor's Bitty and Beau's Coffee
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Ten days after Bitty & Beau's closed its doors on Main Street for renovations, for-lease signs were posted in the storefront's windows on Monday morning.
Commercial real estate firm Colliers confirmed on Monday it is looking for a new tenant to lease the space.
On Oct. 15, staff received an email from the brand's co-owner, Amy Wright.
Wright explained that the store manager decided to leave, and on Oct. 25, the shop would close at the end of the day for renovations.
"As a result, there will be no need to report for shifts after that date," read Wright's email. These improvements will enhance our space and elevate the customer experience, making it even better for our amazing community."
While the space was quickly vacated, renovations never began.
Employee Ken Harrington said the news was a total shock.
"When we found out that they were closing, they said that they were going to move everything out and renovate it," said Harrington. "And when we found out that they did that, all of us were, like, heartbroken and sad and crying. And it's just hard on all of us."
It has also been hard on longtime customers, who said Bitty & Beau's was a light in the community.
"If you're working downtown and you just need a place to stop in and have a meeting, grab a cup of coffee, this was always such a lovely place to be and spend some time, so it was really sad to hear that they were closing," said customer Barb Chaffer Authier.
"They always wrote some little thing on the cup that made your day brighter," said customer Phyllis Goodman, who also volunteers at Ten Thousand Villages next door. "I was glad to see them come; I believe in their mission, and I'm sad to see them go."
Bitty & Beau's has 19 other locations across the country and says it's a "human rights movement disguised as a coffee shop."
The brand did not respond to CBS News Detroit's request for comment.