After a deal to sell the Stowe Street Café fell through last week, owner Nicole Grenier announced that she will close her 10-year-old business at 29 Stowe Street in Waterbury on December 28. Grenier, 49, said she put the café on the market in September for an undisclosed price. Several potential buyers emerged, but, she acknowledged, “It’s a tough time all the way around: to start, to take over, to sustain.”
Grenier attributed her decision to “the realities [facing] all of our small businessfolk, especially in food.” In particular, she cited rising utility bills, property taxes and cost of goods, as well as the challenge of paying a living wage, to which she was committed.
“We’re not the only canary in this coal mine,” Grenier said. “It’s expensive to buy local and support local. The formula is not in any small business’ favor. It’s not sustainable.”
While many businesses face staffing challenges, Grenier had only praise for her team. Although AJ Barr, the café’s head chef of about a year, is moving out of state, she said the rest of the crew was ready to step up.
On the personal side, Grenier said she wanted to make more time for family. “The call for a different rhythm and a different pace is real,” she said.
Grenier owns the building, which includes the café, its kitchen and dining room, and a downstairs community prep kitchen. She hopes to find a tenant for both or a “collaboration of people’s visions and dreams,” she said, “something new and wonderful that we can hopefully help support in the space.”
This article appears in Dec 10-16 2025.
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