Beloved South Utica Cafe Bids Farewell After More Than 20 Years of Serving the Community

Everyone has their favorite spot to meet with friends, enjoy a cup of coffee or simply read a book. For several in the South Utica area and beyond it has been the cafe on the corner of Genesee Street and Emerson Avenue.

For regulars of Cafe Domenico rumors were plentiful that the popular southside staple would be closing their doors. Unfortunately, on Tuesday those rumors were confirmed. The owners of Domenico's, as it was called by many, took to social media to say that after 21 years and 8 months in business they are officially calling it quits. But, the location will still be open for coffee and other beverages.

The old owners of Cafe Domenico announced the sale of the business to Rebecca Gleason who will be renaming the cafe Emerson Ave Coffee. Becca announced the opening and take over of Domenico's back on March 18th. The old owners hope that the dedication and support shown to Cafe Domenico over more than two decades continues with the new owner.

The Facebook post read,

Closing our business, for Orin and Kim, is the hardest decision we have ever made. Especially since the pandemic it has become increasingly challenging to take care of all the “auxiliary work” necessary to running a small business, but it still feels heartbreaking. We – the entire family – loved our business, and we loved that it has meant so much to so many people over 21 years.

Many people reacted to the news with sadness and shared their memories of visiting the local shop through the years. It was also a popular spot for many high school students as well over the years. It's never easy when an old place closes, but at least it won't leave a void. It seems like there is a new business coming with a lot of passion and energy and hopefully those traditions will continue. You can see the post below on Facebook where the new owner of Emerson Ave Coffee introducing herself.