Coffee By Design is permanently closing its Congress Street coffeehouse in Portland.
That was the company’s founding location, which opened nearly 30 years ago.
Earlier this month, Coffee By Design said it was only temporarily closing the location in order to hire and train additional staff.
“The decision to close the Congress Street coffeehouse was not made lightly, and it comes after years of this location barely breaking even due to a combination of factors, including never making a true recovery after COVID, the loss of the Freeport coffeehouse following L.L. Bean’s decision to renovate and not extend the lease, and the changing retail landscape,” said Mary Allen Lindemann, with Coffee By Design.
Lindemann said the timing of the closing of the Congress Street coffeehouse is unrelated to the announcement that workers were unionizing. Coffee By Design has voluntarily recognized the union.
Baristas said 89 percent of eligible workers signed up to be represented by Local 327 of the Laborers’ International Union of North America.
The workers said industry-low pay, uneven hours, inconsistent benefits and poor working conditions all led to the decision.
“We support the right of employees to organize if they feel that’s the best decision for them,” the owners of Coffee By Design said in part.
Congress Street employees will continue to work at Coffee By Design’s India Street and Diamond Street locations.
