Michael Moreno moved quickly, zipping back and forth from behind the coffee counter and the upstairs storage closet last week. It wasn’t a delivery he was putting away. In a way, it was memories.
Old artwork leaned for a moment on a wooden drawer before they were quickly gathered and carried away from their once permanent home. A variety of paintings — of storefronts, of colorful skulls, of a man with crossed arms leaning against a blue wall — disappeared from the walls to the tune of Louis Armstrong’s “New Orleans Stomp.”
Arms full of furniture and artwork, Moreno raced up and down the narrow stairway like a runner preparing for a marathon. The end was near.
Zona Rosa Caffe of Pasadena, Moreno’s staple business for 25 years, had its last day of operation, Tuesday, Nov. 26.
According to Moreno and the property management firm, the popular mainstay cafe lost its lease. Moreno believes the landlord is seeking a corporate tenant to fill the cafe space and the space next to it.
“We tried numerous times to extend our lease for another five years into 2020 with the building owner, but they declined all our requests,” Moreno said.
According to Stephen Chan of G.E. Properties, an Alhambra-based property management firm, an agreement could not be reached; the company prefers long-term leases as opposed to multiple short-term leases.
“We love coffee shops because Michael has been there for so long. It’s not easy to replace a coffee shop like Michael’s because he’s been entrenched in the community,” Chan said. “For property management, life goes on. I need to go out and find a very, very good tenant to be here.”
There have been different prospects for the cafe and the empty spaces nearby, Chan said. They include a Japanese buffet, a Panda Express and an art store that sells coffee; however, currently no deal has been reached with any establishment.
Zona Rosa Caffe’s impact on the Pasadena community is far-reaching. It’s been a hangout place not only for fair-trade connoisseurs and casual coffee sippers, but also lovers of live music, who were treated to musical performances every Thursday night from late spring to fall. The cafe’s colorful orange and white walls and ceiling adorned with colorful papel picado housed yearly Dia de los Muertos celebrations.
In the wake of the cafe’s closure announcement, patrons have voiced everything from sadness to protest to nostalgic memories — along with suggestions and opportunities for relocation. One Pasadena resident, Allie Altschuler, started a petition to save the coffeehouse and urged signers to avoid “any future business (other than a reincarnation of Zona Rosa Caffe) that will take over 15 S. El Molino Ave,” the petition reads.
Jill Shook, a local activist tackling homelessness issues, remembers writing a quarter of her book in the upstairs section of the cafe. It’s the place where she listened to the stories of people experiencing homelessness and was confronted with challenging ideas that didn’t necessarily align with her beliefs.
“I really believe in the importance of coffee shops and the role they play today in society. They’re designed in a way to foster community,” Shook said. “To see a local coffee shop leave, it’s heartbreaking. I guess I don’t know what else to say, but I just love Zona Rosa. It’s been my favorite hangout for years. I’m just already grieving.”
But for just a fleeting moment Thursday, Moreno was back upstairs, sorting through items in the closet. Satchmo is sustaining an E-flat on his trumpet, echoing throughout the cafe. Disregarding the yard sale of items stacked against the wooden drawers, Moreno’s demeanor was like any other day: He chatted up customers and helped his team serve great fair-trade coffee and flaky pastries.
“I really appreciate all the wonderful support and comments we have received from our customers and the community,” Moreno said. “We are grateful for their patronage and believe we would have not made it to 25 years without them. They are the best and will be missed.”
Zona Rosa will continue selling coffee through its website.
