Rise Coffee House will close permanently in the Grove on June 24

Rise Coffee House has announced it will close after nine years in the Grove on Manchester Avenue. The popular cafe’s last day of service will be June 24. 

Jessie Mueller opened Rise in September 2013, originally at 4180 Manchester Ave., before later moving to 4176 Manchester. Mueller stepped away from the business for several years, before returning to the helm in 2019. After a major renovation, Rise unveiled a new look in early 2020, just weeks before the Covid pandemic forced business to a halt.    

A statement posted to the cafe’s social media platforms said the “bittersweet” decision to close was taken “with heavy hearts” and that there were numerous factors prompting the closure. “But the simplest answer is, it is time,” the statement said. “We could wax on about the long term impact of the pandemic, rising food prices, staffing ... but the long and the short of it is that running a restaurant has become unsustainable for us. So we’re releasing it with the belief that endings and beginnings are part of life and that the beauty and power of a thing is not dependent upon its longevity.” 

The statement encouraged customers and friends of Rise to “take whatever sadness you feel at this ending and let it guide you to a place of curiosity about what this coffee shop has meant to you.”

Rise declined to offer further comment for this story, but concluded the statement by thanking the Rise community. “We’d love to see you this week,” the statement said. “We’re tired and sad, but we’re also hopeful for what lies ahead and filled to the brim with gratitude. Thank you for your support of this place, its people, and our community. It has truly meant the world to us.”