After Nearly Three Years, Kuumba Cafe Sets Closing Date

Site of Kuumba Juice and Coffee, 274 E. Keefe Ave. Photo taken Jan. 20, 2024 by Sophie Bolich. Kuumba Juice and Coffee, a cafe and community gathering space along the Beerline Trail, will close next month after nearly three years in business. The cafe, located in the Connector Building, 274 E. Keefe Ave., announced that its final day will be Sunday, Nov. 15. “After much thought and reflection we have made the difficult decision to end operations here at Kuumba Juice Coffee,” reads an Instagram announcement signed by co-founder Alexander Hagler. The announcement did not provide a specific reason for the closure, instead reflecting on the cafe’s role as a neighborhood gathering place. “Over the past three years Kuumba has been exactly what we wanted in a coffee shop. It has been a gathering place for neighbors, artists, organizers, friends, and strangers who have become familiar faces,” Hagler wrote. Hagler, Joe Ferch and Ellie Jackson launched Kuumba in February 2024 after more than t