A businessman has terminated his plans to open a new cafe in the former Little Dog Coffee Shop in downtown Brunswick.
Raffi Sulahian, who oversaw several cafes in California before recently moving to Topsham, wrote on his GoFundMe page that he has “reconsidered moving forward with the project,” The Times Record reported.
Sulahian, 65, added that he will return the $3,060 donated to his GoFundMe campaign, which he launched to raise $50,000 for an “ethical, eco-friendly” cafe, The Times Record reported.
Sulahian’s decision comes after he received backlash from the community for crowdfunding for a for-profit business, and submitting a controversial letter critical of the shop’s unionized workers to the Portland Press Herald. He signed the letter using his middle names, Morgan Christopher, The Times Record wrote.
Sulahian reportedly purchased the coffee shop’s equipment and took down the shop’s logo after the previous owner closed it in June following a union strike.
Sulahian claims he never took steps to buy the Little Dog space, or assume its lease, currently listed at $5,175 by Tondreau LLC, according to The Times Record.
