After Seven Years, Southwest’s Café Con Leche is Moving On

The Clark Park area coffee shop and roaster Café Con Leche is closing, Daily Detroit first-reports. Owner Jordi Carbonell made the surprising announcement today on Facebook, stating that the shop could not come to terms with its landlord to extend its lease. Speaking to Eater, Carbonell tried to stay positive about the closure. "I don't want to focus on the drama," he says. "I'm going to concentrate on the new location [in New Center]."

Carbonell and his wife Melissa Fernandez opened the Southwest coffee shop seven years ago and it's since developed into a community hub. In December 2014, the couple added their second location in New Center in the West Grand Boulevard building.

Carbonell had plans to expand and revamp the Clark Park location and was recently been awarded funds from Motor City Match for the project. He's currently in the process of contacting the program to see how he can move forward. Asked whether he might one day return to Southwest, Carbonell says, "Not tomorrow but maybe in the future. Who knows?" If he does eventually expand his coffee roasting operations he would like to see that project land in the neighborhood that launched their brand. The café's final day is Friday, March 11.