Despite offers to take over business, a popular Belleville coffee shop will not reopen
It seems that Balance Coffee & Tea, located at 732 S. Illinois St. in Belleville, will not be reopening.
Despite hopes of reopening under new ownership, the café’s owners announced via Facebook that while there were “many offers to take over the café” and that it was close to happening, “things outside of [their] control have unfortunately prevented that possibility.”
The May 17 post thanked the public for the “outpour of love and support” received after closing in March.
The post also reminded people that the “same delicious coffee [they] all know and love” is available for purchase from Balance Roasting Division via the website.
Different blends of coffee are available in whole bean, ground, ground Keurig and ground cold brew and come in 12-ounce, 2-pound and 5-pound sizes. Orders will be shipped to customers.
When Balance first announced on Facebook in March that it would close due to “personal reasons,” the post stated that there were multiple offers to take over the business.
Commenters on the March 5 post were optimistic that it would reopen.
(Having written – more than once – about my own fondness for the coffee shop, I had also been looking forward to the possibility of the café reopening.)
Balance Coffee & Tea opened in early 2017 at the site of a former train depot.
Owner Marshall Morris spent 15 years working on the railroad and ended up in Seattle learning the coffee business.
When Balance first opened, Morris described it as “Chill. Easy-going. A place where, if you’re really into coffee, you can feel welcome and know that the people behind the counter know what they’re talking about.”
“But, at the same time,” continued Morris, “you can bring your mom or your grandmother, your grandfather, and get a cup of coffee. And they can come in on their own and get a cup of coffee without feeling like they’re in the wrong place.”
This story was originally published May 17, 2022 at 6:21 PM.
