Kahwa Coffee will close its South St. Petersburg location at the end of October, three years after opening the caf\u00e9 with hopes that new development across the street would bring more customers to the neighborhood.<\/p>\n
Co-founder Raphael Perrier confirmed Friday that the shop at 400 45th Avenue S. hasn\u2019t attracted enough business to justify its rent. The slow pace of redevelopment at the former Coquina Key Plaza and the damage left by the 2024 hurricanes also contributed to his decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s just no traffic,\u201d Perrier said.<\/p>\n
The caf\u00e9 opened in August 2023 as Kahwa\u2019s first location in South St. Petersburg. Mayor Ken Welch attended the ribbon-cutting, and the locally founded coffee company was optimistic about expanding into a part of the city with relatively few coffee shops.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe try to go into areas where we see a void,\u201d co-founder Sarah Perrier said at the time<\/a>. \u201cHopefully, we\u2019re the start of something bigger.\u201d<\/p>\n Across the street, developer Stoneweg had plans to replace the aging Coquina Key Plaza with hundreds of apartments and new retail space. The 14.5-acre property at 4350 6th Street S. had previously housed a grocery store, and residents had expressed concerns about the lack of nearby shopping options.<\/p>\n The Catalyst reported in 2022<\/a> that the city approved plans for 465 apartments, including workforce housing, and at least 20,000 square feet of retail space. The developer also hoped to attract a grocery store, but the apartments and shops have yet to materialize.<\/p>\n Perrier said the company spent roughly two and a half years waiting for the project to move forward, hoping the additional housing and businesses would help draw more customers.<\/p>\n