Due to a broken sewer lateral, Sump Coffee has closed for emergency repairs. Since opening its doors in December of 2011, the coffee shop, located at 3700 S. Jefferson Ave., has cultivated a near cult-like following for hand-crafted coffee. Now, it appears that lovers of all things Sump – from the roasting to the brewing to the owner Scott Carey’s wiry long beard – may have to find another coffeehouse to get their fix for new-wave coffee.
News of the closure came on Friday via a post on the Sump blog: “Some building stuff happened today from which we may or may not be able to ‘bounce’ back from. Whichever the case may be, and even if it can be resolved, it will not be something that can be done quickly.” The post continues, “As of now, our only option is to close – at least through April.” A banner on the home page of the Sump website similarly reads: “Our lovely old St. Louis building is currently not cooperating with us. We are closed for emergency repairs.” Since the initial announcement, Sump’s blog has been updated to detail the emergency repair: “In brief (kidding) our lateral is out. Totally gone. So bad that the cast iron was neither iron or cast. This mean water can come into the building but can’t leave the building.”
Despite the closure, which, at this point, might be temporary or indefinite, Sump is still roasting coffee for its coffee club members. The website also relates that anyone who wants Sump beans can email Carey at scott@sumpcoffee.com, or use the shop’s new Shopify website.
The blog post ends with a request for information about “a small spot” for brewing that could be used in the interim “until this mess is resolved.”
The news from Sump was first noticed by Evan Benn of the Post-Disptach, who shared the information via Twitter. More as we learn it.
— photo by Greg Rannells
This article appears in April 2013.