Aurora Provisions, a mainstay of the West End neighborhood, is slated to close its retail store and cafe Labor Day weekend.
The owner issued a statement Wednesday afternoon,
We believe that the catering side of our business represents our future. Though to realize the catering business’ full potential and to meet our current demand, we must devote our full time, talent and resources to this line of service. Therefore, it is with fond sadness but clarity of purpose that we announce the Aurora Provisions café will permanently close on Saturday, September 1, 2018.
We did not come to this decision easily or hastily. Like many of our peers in the food industry, we’ve had our share of challenges and have had to face difficult economic realities, but we are proud to say we’ve done so head-on, with a goal to ensure Aurora’s longevity, which is ultimately what we are doing with this transition.
All café staff will have the opportunity to transition to the catering business as seasonal employees, though we respect some may pursue opportunities elsewhere and are arranging outplacement services through the Maine Department of Labor. This is a talented team and we hope to keep it together.
Happily, we will continue to operate our catering service out of the same location for as long as we can continue to earn your patronage. We know this will come as a shock to many, but with this decision, we believe we can secure a long and bright future for Aurora Provisions.
Thank you for your continued support.
As a longtime West End resident and Aurora customer I’m sad to see this taking place. The building occupies a central location at the intersection of West, Clarke and Pine. Hopefully someone else will step forward to operate a neighborhood cafe in that space, but as of today there’s no word on what the future holds for 64 Pine Street.
Aurora was sold last year by Marika Kuzma Green to the present owner Melissa Carr.
For more information see today’s article on the closure in the Portland Press Herald.
