First Street Coffee House, a Gilroy staple for the past 26 years, became the latest business casualty under the Covid-19 pandemic, shutting its doors on Jan. 24.
The coffee shop at 1211 First St. made the announcement on its Facebook page on Jan. 18.
“Due to the extended government lockdown and decrease in traffic with no end in sight, we have been operating at a loss for some time,” the post read. “We have been blessed with the wonderful customers who have regularly visited our shop and wish you all the very best future.”
Jackie and Craig Gartman purchased First Street Coffee in 2017. The coffee shop was named the 2015 Gilroy Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year.
First Street Coffee thanked its customers on a Facebook post during its final day of operations.
“We also want to thank the wonderful, amazing, fantastic, talented, amazing, wonderful, fantastic and great staff we had,” the post read. “They greeted you and made your visit a comfortable one. It was hard to say goodbye to them today because they are more than staff, they will always be a member of our family. And there are so many customers we knew by name and they knew your order by heart.”
A call and email to First Street Coffee was not returned as of press time.
Bed Bath & Beyond closing in Gilroy
Bed Bath & Beyond is closing its 6725 Camino Arroyo store in Gilroy by the end of February, part of its plan to close about 200 locations nationwide by 2022.
In July, the company announced its plans to shut down locations as it turns its focus toward online sales.
“The impact of the Covid-19 situation was felt across our business during our fiscal first quarter, including loss of sales due to temporary store closures and margin pressure from the substantial channel shift to digital,” Mark Tritton, Bed Bath & Beyond’s President and CEO, stated in a press release. “From the beginning of this crisis, we have taken measured, purposeful steps to help keep our people safe and our customers serviced, and we are proud of the way our teams have navigated this unprecedented challenge with speed and agility. At the same time, our actions to strengthen our financial position and liquidity are enhancing our flexibility and capacity to invest and rebuild our business for long-term success.”
