EMMAUS, Pa. — A month after hosting President Joe Biden, Nowhere Coffee Co. has temporarily shuttered its second location.
Owners Lauren and Juan Vargas confirmed the location at 318 Main St. closed Thursday until further notice because of roof leaks that damaged critical equipment.
“South Mountain is closed while we figure this [gestures vaguely at the ceiling] out,” a post on Facebook said, with a video showing water from snow melt dripping throughout the cafe.
"It makes us very sad. 2024 needs to calm itself down."Nowhere Coffee Co. co-owner Lauren Vargas
The Vargases said critical equipment, including espresso machines and coffee grinders, was affected.
“It will be some time before we can reopen Emmaus,” Juan Vargas said via text message Thursday night.
He said the loss of the espresso machines will top $20,000, while the three grinders lost are $2,000 each.
Other products were ruined as well, including coffee and tea, and everything in the cafe is wood — including bar tops, counter tops and flooring — so they're also on the lookout for mold.
"It makes us very sad," Lauren Vargas said Friday morning, adding that "2024 needs to calm itself down."
Hosting the president
On Jan. 12, Nowhere Coffee Co. hosted Biden and a number of state and local dignitaries.
Accompanying Biden on the visit were Gov. Josh Shapiro, U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and Administrator Isabel Guzman of the U.S. Small Business Administration
The Vargases had a chance to take the president on a whirlwind tour of Emmaus, where he also visited the Emmaus Run Inn and South Mountain Cycle, owned by Emmaus Borough Councilman Chad Balliet and his wife, Heather.
"Anybody want a coffee? It's on me."President Joe Biden during a stop at Nowhere Coffee Co. in Emmaus
One of Biden’s final stops was at Nowhere Coffee Co., which opened in Emmaus in 2022, about six months after it opened its first location in South Whitehall Township.
"Anybody want a coffee? It's on me," the president said.
Biden took selfies with people at the coffee company and paid cash for a smoothie. He also made his way around the cafe and chatted with about a dozen people — some of them local business owners — before sitting down for a private conversation with the Vargases.
Much of Biden’s visit was featured on White House social media in the weeks after.
Water damage follows Upper Macungie permit denial
In early February, the Vargases were denied a permit for the business' planned roastery at 1115 Trexlertown Road.
The couple said they already signed a lease on the property and bought a $50,000 roaster.
The township determined that the roastery is classified under “manufactur[ing] and/or bulk processing” of food products, which is not allowed in the Neighborhood Commercial zoning district of the property.
This is all "a bit overwhelming. Now that it's hitting me."Nowhere Coffee Co. co-owner Juan Vargas
“You gave no guidance. You ask no clarifying questions,” Lauren Vargas said at zoning meeting. “You did not find the exact word roasting in your zoning code.
"And you were permitted to make a unilateral assessment of my business and reject our application with zero visibility into how or why.”
A week ago, the Vargases said they hoped to open their planned roastery in the Allentown area, though an update on a location has yet to be announced.
This is all "a bit overwhelming," Juan Vargas said Friday. "Now that it's hitting me."
