On Monday, January 13, the first spot on our list of the most anticipated openings of the year will become reality when Leven Supply opens in Wash Park. But the first full week of 2025 brought two closures.
Federal Coffee originally debuted in 2018 in a space that co-owner Sonia Rosas’s mother had leased for 21 years as the owner of the Cosma Vida naturista store. The cozy shop operated for two years before COVID caused it to close its doors. To keep afloat during its public hiatus from 2020 to 2024, the space was rented out as a private events venue.
But in November, Federal Coffee came bouncing back, boasting a new cocktail-stocked bar, a host of renovations and an expanded calendar that included everything from Chess Thursdays to customer vinyl-spinning nights. But on January 9, it posted this announcement on its Facebook page: “It is with sorrow in our hearts that we announce that FedCo/Federal Coffee will be closing its doors after only two months of being reopened. The landlords Gilbert and Brenda Vazquez of Vazquez Investments have decided that after 28 years of a relationship and renting from them, they will not renew our lease even after all the improvements, time, money and a liquor license elevating the neighborhood and trying to bring something new and different to everyone.”…