The Everett Station Cafe, a commuter haven for coffee and deli food, will be closed indefinitely, a state official says.
The cafe in Everett Station shut down Christmas Eve because of poor sales.
The business was a product of the state Department of Services for the Blind, which helps provide quality employment for blind people.
"That was basically what the Everett Station Cafe was supposed to be," said Jeanne Gallo, who runs the business enterprise program for the department.
Gallo said her agency trains blind people to be entrepreneurs, sets them up in good locations, buys start-up equipment and helps them get going. The business operator then has to pay expenses such as rent, supplies, taxes and insurance.
Two different blind businessmen tried and failed to make the Everett Station Cafe work, Gallo said.
"This location had great difficulty in meeting expenses," she said. "It would happen regardless of whether the person was blind or sighted, I’m sure."
The department signed a five-year lease for their client in July 2002. Gallo said until she can find another blind client, her agency will have to continue paying the $1,631 a month rent.
Her agency is talking to Everett city leaders to see what other options are available at Everett Station.
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