For the second winter in a row, the café in City Market’s downtown location at 82 South Winooski Avenue in Burlington will close due to safety and security concerns. The co-op informed members in a December 1 email of the temporary winter closure, starting Wednesday, December 3. While acknowledging the inconvenience, the email stated, “Safety remains our highest priority, and we believe this is the best way forward as we take the time to reassess the space and re-open, tentatively in March, when we feel that it is safe for our customers and staff.”
In a follow-up email, the co-op’s director of community and marketing, Cheray MacFarland, told Seven Days, “We have multiple security incidents almost daily at this point and deem it necessary to close as the holidays are some of our busiest shopping days.”
MacFarland also elaborated on the announcement that the downtown store would temporarily close its public restroom at the same time. In April, the co-op added a security code to access the bathroom. MacFarland said the closure is “largely” due to a needed plumbing upgrade. Operating a café requires a bathroom, so the café closure offers the opportunity to do the necessary work, she explained.
City Market is among many downtown businesses that have struggled to manage fallout from the persistent drug crisis, as reported previously by Seven Days. Last winter, the café at the South Winooski Avenue store closed for the month of January for safety concerns. It reopened with limited hours (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and never returned to its original schedule, which had mirrored the store hours of 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. The co-op has multiple security managers on staff and hires reinforcements from private companies.
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