Stone Creek Coffee will permanently close its Bay View location on Dec. 5.
The Milwaukee-based coffee roaster recently announced the closure via social media, citing a structural issue with the 1920s-era building at 2266 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. Closing the location after 18 years in business was not something Stone Creek had planned, the business indicated.
According to the announcement, the cafe’s exterior seating area had been remodeled last summer and plans were in the works to upgrade the cafe’s interior as well. Meanwhile, Stone Creek had been attempting to work with the building owner to resolve a structural issue with the south-facing exterior wall, which was considered a safety risk to customers and employees. As a result, Stone Creek had closed the entrance on that side of the building and the adjacent seating area.
“In spite of our efforts, we were unable to resolve the issue to our satisfaction,” Stone Creek wrote. “… We are disappointed about the need to close under these circumstances, but we are determined to move forward.”
2266KK LLC, which is an affiliate of Milwaukee-based SG Property Development + Management, purchased the 2,838-square-foot building in March for $400,000 from Capstone Real Estate LLC, according to city property records. 2266KK LLC is registered to Dean Castelaz, who said he manages the property. Multiple requests for comment from Castelaz on the building’s structural issues and Stone Creek’s closure were not returned.
Stone Creek plans to retain all employees at the Bay View location through tranfers to other cafes. The coffee Roaster has eight other locations in southeastern Wisconsin.
This will be Stone Creek’s third store closure in the past year. Its Walker’s Point location closed in November 2020 due to challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, and its original location in Whitefish Bay closed in April.
