A downtown Fredericksburg coffee shop, known for being socially conscious and a haven for the LGBTQIA+ community, announced the beginning of its partial closure via a Facebook post.
Since 2017, Katora Coffee, located on Caroline Street, hosted private events, ranging from book signings to open mic nights. It also featured an upstairs lounge that was regularly occupied by telecommuters and students.
“As we transition to the next phase of our journey, our hours of operation will be inconsistent,” the post stated “We will do everything to support existing bookings and [will] open for specific events only.”
Not the only business affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Katora elected to limit hours and refocus the direction of the business. The Facebook posted stated that owners are not ready to share any further details publicly on any new plans.
Support was shown through various comments on the post — with quite a few people telling their own stories of how important and helpful Katora Coffee was to them over the years.
“Katora [is] the first place I ever went after I started coming out as LGBT,” one user commented. “I was absolutely terrified of how I would be received, especially as a trans person very early in transition. But everybody there was so wonderful and accommodating, and made me feel like I mattered.”
Katora’s operators concluded the post by assuring that this is time to grow and evolve rather than be melancholy and seeking pity.
“Another option is to say goodbye and be happy and grateful to be alive and not incarcerated,” the post stated. “Thank you for supporting us over the past six years. We appreciate all the work our staff has put in and wish everyone a prosperous and happy future.”
