Today is the last day coffee will be served at the original Zeke’s Coffee location in East Liberty. But if things go according to plan, even as their building is razed to make way for new development, Zeke’s will be readying its new cafe space across Penn Avenue.
“I’ve been finding myself roaming around taking pictures of the old space,” owner Chris Rhodes said. “We’ll all be a little sad, we spent a lot of blood, sweat and tears here.”
Walnut Capital plans to develop a six-story apartment building on the site of the former PNC Bank branch near Zeke’s, and to raze the block of buildings from 6012 to 6018 Penn Ave. Walnut Capital acquired the properties from the East Liberty Development group.
“Ever since we started here, we’ve been month-to-month, so we never knew how long it was going to last,” Mr. Rhodes said. “But it started to pick up around here. We got an espresso machine, more seating, and we’ve been slowly expanding where we can in our small space.”
Mr. Rhodes said Zeke’s got lucky, finding new space for its cafe at 6105 Penn Ave. and another space steps away at 6314 Broad St. that will allow it to open a roastery complete with drive-through window.
But with such a small window of time to ready the new spaces and make the move, Mr. Rhodes said Zeke’s was faced with a budget crunch.
So Zeke’s launched a campaign on crowdfunding platform Indiegogo, appealing to the community for $15,000. Depending on the amount they contribute, donors will receive perks (pun intended) ranging from a cup of coffee and a bumper sticker to a catered event and free coffee for life.
“Our community of East Liberty is changing — crime is down, foot traffic is up, and people are coming here for the first time since the ’80s. We’ve been here since the very beginning of this revival, and we want to remain part of the fabric and have a say,” according to the “Save Zeke’s” Indiegogo page.
“Your donation to our cause will help to maintain an independent, small local business in the midst of an increasingly corporate landscape. It will support the mom ’n’ pop, do-it-yourself culture that keeps our cities from being a big pile of lame!”
Zeke’s started with Mr. Rhodes roasting a pound of coffee at a time, and making deliveries to local farmers markets on his bicycle. The business has grown steadily, adding baked goods made by Mr. Rhodes’ wife, Brye, as well as espresso. It now has six employees.
The Indiegogo funds will be used to help finish the renovations of the new cafe and to buy an espresso machine. As of Thursday afternoon, the campaign had passed the $10,000 mark. It is scheduled to continue until Jan. 25.
Mr. Rhodes said his goal is to be closed for as short a time as possible. “If we can get the kitchen done by the end of January,” he said, “I’m hoping we can be closed for only two weeks. I hope.”
While the conditions of the move are less than ideal, Mr. Rhodes said he never considered closing Zeke’s.
“I think this neighborhood is going to be really successful and we’re right at the center,” he said. “We’ve worked really hard and we want to keep it going.”
First Published: January 9, 2015, 5:00 a.m.
