By Mark Hansel
NKy Tribune Managing Editor
Yesterday’s Café and Tea Room, a popular gathering spot on Main Street in Florence, will close later this month.
It’s not a lack of business that has forced owner Susan Schultz to shut down after 11 years at the corner of Girard and Main streets. She is being evicted.
“We were recently notified by the building owner to remove all of the contents of our store in order to prepare for a new tenant,” Schultz said.
It’s no secret that Schultz and building owner Roger Berger have had a tenuous relationship at times over the years.
Berger was reluctant to comment and would confirm only that Schultz was being evicted. He did not confirm that he has a new tenant or whom that might be.
“This is a private matter between the tenant and myself,” Berger said. “I’ve owned it for a long time and had it rehabbed it when it was an eyesore and a fire trap and I think we’ve done a very good job.”
Susan Schultz, owner of Yesterday’s, becomes emotional talking about the closing of the café and tea room on Main Street in Florence
Schultz has attempted to buy the property in the past to put an end to the brewing dispute. She has also been working for months to secure a new lease agreement that would allow her to remain, to no avail.
Florence Mayor Diane Whalen said she is disappointed to see a successful business leave the Main Street community and hopes Schultz finds another location in Florence.
“This is truly a landlord and tenant issue and a matter they have been dealing with for some time,” Whalen said. “Our thought and my thought is that this is not anything the City of Florence can interject ourselves into.”
Yesterday’s Café and Tea Room is located on the half-mile long Main Street corridor and was a good fit with the eclectic mix of artist’s studios, restaurants and other retailers
Schultz strongly supported the effort to develop Main Street into an arts district and displayed the works of its merchants in her establishment.
Keith Klein, owner of Keith Klein Art Studio, said Yesterday’s was one of the district’s anchors and it leaving is a terrible blow for Main Street.
“Susan is a terrific lady who lifted the game on Main Street and she has a very classy and high-end approach to what she does,” Klein said. “I’ve had my work there for a long time and we really wish she could stay. It’s Yesterday’s Café, and it’s in a place that’s of yesterday, so it’s hard to imagine a better fit for her.”
Schultz posted a notice on the Tea Room Facebook page a few days ago and received more than 36,000 page views and 600 shares. Schultz said she has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from loyal customers.
“They are all coming in,” Schultz said. My place has been a buzz of well-wishers and we haven’t even sent it to our email list yet.”
Warren with bag of Matcha, a popular Japanese tea sold at Yesterday’s
Danielle Warren, a Northern Kentucky University student from Independence, stopped in earlier this week to get one last Matcha lemonade.
Matcha is a Japanese shade-grown tea that has helped cultivate customers from the region’s growing Asian community, and has become a favorite of many other Yesterday’s regulars as well.
“When I heard they were closing, I was devastated,” Warren said. “It’s such a cool place. I love talking to the Japanese customers because I want to be fluent in Japanese one day.”
Laurie Walton, a regular customer from Florence, greeted Schultz with a warm hug and teared up when talking about the closing.
Walton and Schultz
“Yesterday’s is a very essential piece for the people of the community that just enjoy a calm quiet place to come,” Walton, whose husband is Boone County Commissioner Charlie Walton, said. “I’m a very big proponent of small business and Susan has done an amazing job of building, not just a business, but a service for the community.”
The two-story, Colonial-style building provided the perfect setting for Schultz’s business model.
Yesterday’s features a café, a dining area and a gift shop, in addition to the tea room. It has become a popular spot for afternoon, tea, Sunday brunch and private parties, as well as a favorite option for lunch.
Schultz said she has worked hard to make Yesterday’s not just a gathering spot, but a place where people can learn about teas. Tea is the second-most popular drink in the world, next to water, and Schultz said Yesterday’s has helped educate the people of Northern Kentucky about its history and value.
“Tea is so much more than a teabag in a cup that came from a box that sat on a store shelf, and once people get to experience true tea and learn about it – they’re fans for life,” Schultz said. “Our measuring system, with a tea cup and a teaspoon, is based on tea. We have spent a huge amount of time here, getting people to taste it and feel it and it’s just an awesome experience.”
Yesterday’s has several long time employees and former employees have even returned to help accommodate the requests from customers for seatings in the final days.
“We already had a vibrant business, but is has doubled since people heard we are closing,” Schultz said. It’s amazing to have the support that we have had and the impact we have made on people with just a little shop.”
Schultz received a pre-eviction notice in February and continued to negotiate with Berger, but recently got the notice to vacate the premises.
She would like to find another location, but estimates she has spent more than $250,000 in rent and leasehold improvements.
Whalen said she would like to see Yesterday’s remain in Florence and the city has worked with her to find a suitable location.
“She has expanded and added improvements that increased the value of that corner,” Whalen said. “Our goal, if she is looking for another place, is to help her find something in the area.”
While the brick-and-mortar location will go away, at least for a while, Yesterday’s will endure. Schultz will continue to provide education and offer products online. She also plans to become part of the summer festival scene.
“The classroom and what we teach is not going to go away,” Schultz said. “We are really positive about what we do. We know have an opportunity to start fresh and even if we don’t have a bigger space it’s going to be better and wherever we go, we’ll land on our feet.”
Schultz is taking reservations through June 20 and Yesterday’s is expected to close its doors June 25.
Customers are encouraged to check Yesterday’s website, www.yesterdayscafeandtearoom.com , and Facebook page for updates and announcements.
It’s really sad how wrong that slumlord has done her! Susan and her Yesterday’s family have turned that building around, and it’s sad to hear him take any credit for improvements. She spearheaded the revitalization of Main Street. I feel sorry for the customers as well as the future tenants. Yesterday’s will certainly be missed on Main Street!