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Sugar Cafe to Close After This Weekend

The owners of Sugar Cafe sent notice via email newsletter and Facebook that the business will close after this weekend.

The owners of Sugar Cafe, Kelly and Mike James, sent notice Friday evening via email newsletter and the Sugar Cafe Facebook page that the business will close after this weekend.

Below is the text of the email newsletter sent by Sugar Cafe:

Sugar Cafe's last weekend.... 

I was continually told that I was crazy to open a small business in this economy.  It never mattered though.  I was so in love with this concept and this place, maybe since I was a little girl.

It would be a sunny, happy place where friends could meet for brunch.  It would be very  kid friendly so that Moms could enjoy a coffee and a pastry with each other.  It would have really great music.  Everything would taste so good.  A person could order a fine cake for anything from a first birthday to a grand wedding!

We would have fun every single day.  We would no longer be confined to the back of a kitchen.  We would be there with the people.  We could make pastries on a balcony and be able to look down and see every "yum" face.  We could hear the music play.

Sometimes dreams are harder to keep alive than you might expect.  Sometimes, no matter how hard you work or how much passion you have...the dream dies.

This will be our last weekend at Sugar Cafe.  Truth be told, it was always a labour of love.  We gave everything that we have and today we had to make the decision to move on.

There is no regret in our hearts.  We were embraced by Dormont and held there in their hearts.  We did have fun every single day.  We became a family.  Our family grew far and wide and came to see us all of the time.  We loved taking care of them and making them smile.  We saw our moms have new babies, our Sugar babies.  We watched our family grow.

We got here early and we stayed here late, driven by the Sugar blend coffee.  We celebrated all of our talents.  We were right where we belonged.   Our staff became our family and we love each of them dearly, always will.   We had fantastic regulars that were daily fixtures and weekend regulars that made us smile when they walked in the door.

Know that this decision was made with the heaviest of hearts.  Know that every single one of you touched our lives.  Thank you for every time you walked through our door.  We hope that we were able to touch your lives in a small way too.

We are going to open this weekend and "ride it til the wheels fall off".  If you are out in the neighborhood, stop by for a spell, we would love to see you once more.

Much Love, Kelly and Mike James

Dormont-Brookline Patch is working to get details on this situation, and will publish information as it becomes available.

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Bob Dobbs January 5, 2013 at 03:31 am
get er done
Diane M - Dormont Resident January 5, 2013 at 03:43 am
Sorry to hear this, I appreciated your sweet remarks. You have blessed our community with your kindness.
Blair B. Brockmeyer January 5, 2013 at 03:26 pm
My clients will miss your delicious cup cakes and I will miss my Sunday French toast. Please keep your dreams growing.
Ed M January 6, 2013 at 03:24 am
It's Dormont Robert. I am going to request that you no longer be allowed to post in these forums, Robert. All you do is disparage Dormont for no reason.
Robert January 6, 2013 at 03:49 am
Do you think I closed down thier nice business ed? Open your eyes....and your mind.....things change......nothing is forever,,,,is that disparaging? If someone doesn't agree with you of course they shouldn't be able to post. My bet is that you live in dormon ed.
Ed M January 6, 2013 at 05:59 pm
No Robert I live in Dormont. And I never said you had anything to do with their business closing. Yes things change Robert. I don't care if you agree with me but all you to is take cheap shots at Dormont for no reason.
Erin, please do not allow Robert to continue to post in these topics. He offers nothing and continues to disparage Dormont for no reason.
Erin Faulk (Editor) January 6, 2013 at 06:21 pm
Ed M - It's my recommendation that you stop responding to Robert altogether.
Robert - It's my recommendation that you heed the warnings I have given you on previous articles. Continued violations of the Patch Terms of Use will result in the suspension of your Patch account, and continuing to make disparaging and derogatory comments about the community of Dormont or its residents is a violation of those Terms. As noted before, you are welcome to email me at erin.faulk@patch.com if you have questions about this.
Bob Dobbs January 6, 2013 at 07:00 pm
i would think kelly could make better money working at a high end restaurant/hotel somewhere ?
Ed M January 6, 2013 at 09:51 pm
Thank you Erin.
Robert January 6, 2013 at 11:11 pm
Like in Mt. Lebanon Bob.....would probably suot that particular business better.
Cindi Lash January 7, 2013 at 02:41 am
What a shame. Our family was among those weekend regulars, and we loved how we were always greeted with a genuine smile and welcome. We will miss Sugar as much for its great folks as for its treats. Thank you, Kelly and Mike, and good luck to you.
Ed M January 7, 2013 at 12:11 pm
There are three very similar places within a couple blocks of each other - Fredo's, DorStop and Sugar Cafe. I don't think any neighborhood in the South Hills would be able so support such similar businesses in such close proximity.
mary jo otoole January 8, 2013 at 02:06 pm
Sorry to hear this! Such a unique spot, I would bring out of town relatives in for a bite because it was close, charming and delicious! Good luck in your future endeavors, I'm sure this won't be your last!!!! and btw, I live in Brookline!
Erin Faulk (Editor) January 8, 2013 at 02:09 pm
I'm sad about this, too. This was my favorite Friday lunch spot, and I usually stopped in throughout the week as well. I definitely will miss Sugar.
LatoniaLVR January 14, 2013 at 03:50 am
Restaurants typically have a 90% failure rate. A variety of factors contribute to that fate - location, mismanagement, misreading the buying public, lack of adequate capital, and other things. The economic malaise over the past 4 plus years does not help and increased taxes (2% rise in social security) cut further in to disposable income. We dined at a fledgling restaurant (Kitana). Our second visit was after the liquor license was obtained and we had brought a bottle of plum wine (screw top) that they were going to charge us $10 in corkage to open. We haven't been back since. Anyone opening a restaurant should watch the Food Network before making the commitment. Robert Irvine has an excellent show on running a restaurant.
Sewmama March 7, 2013 at 02:33 am
Sorry I missed patronizing your business. Passed it every morning on my way to work and put on my list to visit one Saturday. Hope you can open another again somewhere soon--sounded like a wonderful place to relax and enjoy some good food & friends !
Bob Dobbs March 7, 2013 at 05:33 pm
that space on corner of west liberty blvd and potomac where that worn out florist is .,.. that's ideally where she'd have been or another cafe / coffee-joint like it ... prime location for something like that ... does anyone really buy flowers anymore ? i say evict the florist and bring in something more useful .
Drew Lehman March 7, 2013 at 08:05 pm
Geez Bob, you are such a visionary... Sugar Cafe was in a great spot but it was really a little too ahead of its time. If and when Kelly reopens she will be successful because she is way too creative and talented. Why the negative vibe for Dormont Florist? They do a very good business and in the Internet age they are one of the few in the area that are still independent and small business is vital to Dormont's future. The ability to walk in the front door and get just what you want instead of a picture "online" is something that should not be taken for granted.
Bob Dobbs March 7, 2013 at 10:12 pm
drew - i will say, i've gotten rude reception from those women anytime i've walked in there. needless to say, i'm not impressed. and again, any neighborhood needs a good solid coffee-shop to bring people together (without having to sit on a bar-stool inhaling toxic cig smoke and etc. in a bar.) moonstones moved from where sugar cafe is/was to that corner spot on west lib blvd and potomac and i've heard their business has increased significantly and that's just a niche kind of place .
Ed M March 8, 2013 at 12:19 pm
Gotta agree Bob. I have had the same experience which is the reason I stopped going there.
If Kelly reopens, it should be up near Cochran. With the DorStop and Fredo's, Potomac is saturated with these type of establishments.
Note Article
Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Johann Lynge June 13, 2013 at 03:54 am
@MCG - I appreciate how you perceived the situation and I apologize if that was in fact the case.Read More Like I said I was not privy to the exact conversation. However at the time it wasn't explained like that to me so I was unaware and handled it as I interpreted it. My apologies if I was mistaken.
Johann Lynge June 13, 2013 at 04:07 am
@Debbie L. Actually the police have not been to the pub in a long time. The last time they wereRead More there was because I called them because a man who was intoxicated (which we didn't serve because he is barred) came in and refused to leave. And I don't ever recall seeing the fire department there. But to blame it on the Pub is a misconception because even if you closed the pub there are half a dozen other bars on the blvd that everyone would then frequent. While Bob Dobbs recommendation of reinstating prohibition might sound like a good idea good luck with that. Prohibition didn't prevent drinking in the 20's and it wouldn't stop it now either. Ultimately we can not make everyone happy but we do our best to run a safe and friendly establishment. And I make it my personal mission to prevent any and all fights. Since I've been the door man (almost 6 months) we have only had 1 fight in the bar which was quickly broken up. We are not perfect. Nor is any other bar. But we constantly strive to make improvements. We are a community pub. We love our community and everyone in it.
Bob Dobbs June 13, 2013 at 01:23 pm
i should say that out of the handful of bars in the vicinity, i prefer the brookline pub if i'mRead More gonna go to a bar . i dont care for the younger kids that accumulate on saturday nights with that annoying ghetto music but the food specials are decent and they do stock a decent selection of beers . i find zippy's to be much more clique-y and narrow-minded .
Brad Birdwell June 10, 2013 at 09:18 pm
@Daria. My description is 100% accurate. Yes, the bouncer quickly handled the situation by claimingRead More he witnessed "the whole thing". And he did. He witnessed my friends and I waiting to order a drink. That's all. Nothing more. Nothing less. The description is not harsh, it's actually toned down in comparison to what actually happened. The bouncer said, "I witnessed the whole thing and you were being a ****. One customer standing in line to order. One customer flicking another customer's hood and getting in his face. Which one was wrong? Apparently me since I don't go there frequently.
Johann Lynge June 11, 2013 at 08:39 am
To everyone following this thread, I'm the doorman in question at the Brookline Pub. I've posted aRead More response to the original poster on Patch.com that can be found at the following address: http://dormont-brookline.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/in-response-to-the-post-brookline-pubhorrible-experience I implore everyone to read that response to hear my side of the story. Thank you.
Debbie L. June 12, 2013 at 09:36 pm
Brad,,i totally agree with ya 100 percent,,nothing but trouble there, when my son starts going thereRead More from time to time again, i know hes up to no good.
Erin Faulk (Editor) June 8, 2013 at 06:08 pm
Thanks for adding this, Drew! Article coming soon. If you have any photos from the games, pleaseRead More feel free to add the photos here, too.
Drew Lehman June 9, 2013 at 10:08 am
The game actually will be played at Green Twp. Park in Scotland Pa. (near Chambersburg)
JLMK June 8, 2013 at 01:36 pm
Hi there. My fiancee and i are interested. Can you inbox me? Jesskrchmar@Gmail. Com
coreylahey June 5, 2013 at 05:51 pm
But I reported on documented actions that happened within the community. Where is the violation?
Erin Faulk (Editor) June 5, 2013 at 05:54 pm
One was removed for personal attacks, another because it implied that there was corruption by aRead More specific person. Although you didn't name the person, it was implied. Since the corruption was never proven, I removed the comment. It's over. You're welcome to continue commenting as long as you follow the term of use.
coreylahey June 6, 2013 at 12:25 am
Yeah I guess the public online court records showing someone pleading guilty is not proof