Earlier this week, local chain 321 Coffee announced via Instagram that it is not renewing its 300 Morris Street lease and will serve its last coffees at the downtown Durham location early next month.
“We have loved every moment of our last two years in Durham and growing within this vibrant community,” the post reads. “As we look towards the fall, we have made the decision to not renew the lease for our Durham shop at the end of this summer as our team transitions to launch our newest location on NC State’s Centennial Campus.”
The small coffee chain was founded in 2017 by Lindsay Wrege and Michael Evans, two NC State graduates looking to create an inclusive workspace for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Since launching its first location in Raleigh off Hillsborough Street, 321 Coffee has expanded with a coffee cart and a State Farmer’s Market location, in addition to the Durham space, which opened in 2022 in the Durham ID building near Central Park. It has also increased its roasting production, with beans sold at Weaver Street locations as well as several local Whole Foods.
321 isn’t the first downtown Durham business, or even the first coffee shop, to shut down this summer. Beyu Caffe shut down last month, citing “changing dynamics such as high parking rates, ongoing construction, and the impact of remote work.” When the INDY reached out to 321 Coffee, a spokesperson wrote that they would not be able to reply this week.
At a city council work session on May 23, a pack of business owners implored Durham city council to do more to support the flailing downtown district. They cited 2022’s dramatic increase in parking rates and the disruptive construction that seems to be swallowing parts of downtown.
321 Coffee is one of several organizations—including the Durham-based Part & Parcel and Chapel Hill’s Extraordinary Ventures—seeking to make the Triangle a hub for mission-based small businesses with diverse hiring practices.
The Durham location’s last day of service will be August 3. On Instagram, the company wrote that they are “proud to be retaining everyone on our team” and that the downtown Durham staff will be redeployed to other locations.
Reach Reporter Chase Pellegrini de Paur at [email protected]. Comment on this story at [email protected].