Manayunk Saxbys closes for good, Main Street Market to expand

Saxbys Coffee on Main Street has closed again, but this time it’s official. For real. No fooling.

The large glass windows are papered over; the doors are locked. A quick glimpse through one clear window shows an empty space with a sad stack of coffee cups on the floor, flyers hanging from the bulletin board, and a full list of drink and food specials written in chalk on the side wall.

A note on the door reads:

Dear Saxbys customers, we love you. No we really do. You are the reason we existed, and we were passionate about serving you. We apologize for our Manayunk closure and want you to know that we will miss every, single one of you dearly.

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Then it goes on to list the other Saxbys locations in the area. Another flyer on the window reads “Gone but not forgotten” with a list of Saxbys shops nearby.

Rich Rivera, a partner at Belvedere Business Group and co-owner of the neighboring Main Street market, had a less sentimental take on what happened.

“They stayed open as much as they could, grabbed as much cash as they could, and when they knew they were up for an eviction, they left,” he said.  He said he hopes to expand Main Street Market into the now-empty space and hopes to pick up the keys to the property as early as today.

The closure comes less than six months after the shop re-opened under new management with big plans to create a new basement venue with printing stations and iPads for customers.

The shop had closed unexpectedly just three months before that due to legal action from Neduscin Management for defaulting on the lease at its former location on Main Street.

Rivera says the shop tried to broker a deal in bankruptcy court but was not awarded a new lease. He’s happy to renew expansion plans that had been put on hold.

“Our plan is to include a full service delicatessen with hot and cold prepared food, breads and pastries, inside and outdoor seating, a barista area and a dipping station with 18 flavors of ice cream,” Rivera explained.

He also has plans to add a wi-fi lounge in the basement.

“We’re trying to create some community amenities that people appreciate,” Rivera said. “We’re invested in the community, we’re not just real-estate developers.”

Calls to Nick Bayer, president and CEO of Saxbys, were not returned. The site’s property owner, Eadeh, Enterprise declined to comment on the closure.

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