Yesterday afternoon, the beloved Germantown Espresso Bar (GEB), a community café, announced in a ‘Farewell Note’ on social media that after eight years, the business will officially close at the end of September.
“Rising costs and financial challenges have made it impossible to keep brewing for you every morning,” the post read on Facebook.
The coffee shop had its grand reopening this past February at its current location, 6369 Germantown Avenue, after a two-year absence following the closure of its old Maplewood Mall location.
The team acknowledged that reopening would be a transitional period of growth, and they believed that their commitment to fair wages for baristas, high-quality organic ingredients, and community support would help them succeed.
“Unfortunately, numbers don’t lie, and we’ve determined there’s no path forward,” said the team.
GEB has built a reputation for being community-oriented in the past, striving to utilize its space and tools for the benefit of its neighbors. Over the years, the coffee shop has also served as an event space, hosting open mic nights, performances, community meetings, and other events.
The generous spirit remains evident, as the space still hosts a pet pantry and a pay-it-forward model, allowing neighbors to extend a free beverage to a fellow neighbor in want.
“While we wish it [were] a different outcome, we know we will still find ways to connect together and hold events and pop-ups throughout the neighborhood,” the team said.
“Thank you all for helping make Germantown Espresso Bar the beautiful community we are; that is something that can never go away.”
GEB was founded in 2017 by Jeff Podlogar, Miles Orion-Butler, and their two partners, Kate Ibarra Podlogar and Katie Cornine. In 2019, the team expanded by bringing on a few regulars, including married couple Dan & Colleen Hudson.
The expansion helped launch a new leg of the business, Many Hands Coffee Co., a coffee roaster and mobile coffee business rooted in sharing/donating proceeds of every sale/event.
Brothers Nick and Jesse Bradley joined the team earlier in the year, bringing collective ownership to eight, all of whom live in Germantown or Mt. Airy.
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Note: This story has been updated to make it clear that the closing is at the end of September. Thanks to the Germantown Espresso Bar for that note!