SLO County coffee shop closed 4 months ago. Now nearby stores are struggling to survive
After nearly three decades in downtown Morro Bay, a popular coffee shop has officially been evicted from its Main Street spot.
Top Dog Coffee Bar, known for its specialty coffee, spacious back patio and dog-friendly attitude, had been open at 857 Main St. since 1996 before it abruptly closed in mid-September.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office handed the business an eviction restoration notice on Dec. 31, according to an official document pasted to the cafe’s front door.
“Any person not authorized by the landlord who enters the real property after eviction may be subject to arrest,” the notice read.
The notice confirmed that Top Dog owner Dustin Blom had been evicted from the location.
Local business owners on Morro Bay’s Main Street said they’re relieved that the eviction process is finally over.
“It made the whole street depressed to see the cafe closed,” said Grandma’s Mercantile on Main owner Sugar Cliff, whose store is adjacent to the now-closed coffee shop.
Since Top Dog Coffee Bar shut down, Cliff has observed a steady stream of people stopping by the space and peeking in the windows.
She hopes a new business will move into the empty storefront soon.
“There’s so much potential there,” she said.
Why did SLO County coffee shop close?
Blom purchased Top Dog Coffee Bar in early 2022 from longtime owners Patrick Bietz and Suzanne Maury.
Former employees told The Tribune that the coffee shop closed after workers went without pay for weeks.
During the coffeehouse’s final months, Blom stopped coming to work and failed to communicate with employees about his whereabouts, former Top Dog supervisor Josie Monroe told The Tribune in December.
Blom stopped paying vendors, and eventually, employees’ paychecks bounced, Monroe said.
Coffee shop workers said they were forced to either work for free or shut down. They voted to close.
In addition, Top Dog Coffee Bar breached its rental agreement, according to a legal document displayed on Top Dog’s front door.
The business failed to pay $1,500 in rent for the month of October, stated the document, which was signed by landlord Jeanie Van Gronigen.
Top Dog also missed payments for required trash services with “outstanding charges in the amount of $3,759.72,” the document said.
Downtown Morro Bay stores struggle after coffeehouse closure
Shop owners on Morro Bay’s Main Street said Top Dog’s closure led to a significant reduction in foot traffic to the area.
Summer Birchell, the owner of Gaia’s Garden and Apothecary, said Top Dog’s sudden shutdown “absolutely” impacted her sales.
“We’ve lost more than half of our business” since Top Dog closed in September, she told The Tribune.
Birchell and her daughter, Sierra Mace, opened the store, which sells crystals, houseplants and tea, at 875 Main St., Suite C, in January 2022.
The pair were sold on a Main Street location, Birchell said, but business on the block had rapidly deteriorated since Top Dog Coffee Shop closed.
“I never recognized the success of that business and how it impacted ours” until it shut down, she said.
Previously, up to 20 people an hour would wander from Top Dog to Gaia’s Garden, Birchell said.
Now those kinds of visitors are nearly nonexistent, she said.
“This (part of) Main Street was 60% affected by that business (closure),” she said.
Cliff said her shop, Grandma’s Mercantile on Main, has also experienced a drastic decline in morning foot traffic — leading to a lack of sales. The store offers a selection of vintage gifts, handmade crafts, glassware and children’s toys.
In October, the first full month Top Dog was closed, sales at Grandma’s Mercantile on Main were half of what Cliff made the previous October.
“It sucked,” Cliff said. “It really financially impacted all of us.”
She’s also noticed a decline in tourists visiting Main Street and a mood shift in downtown Morro Bay.
“It’s really affected everybody,” she said of the Top Dog closure. “It’s not just money but spirit — the community of the whole town.”
In order to keep her gift shop alive, Cliff said she has shifted the store’s business hours to later in the day. That’s when people tend to visit Savory Smoke, a new barbecue joint that opened down the block in November.
“That’s what saved my Christmas season,” Cliff said.
Could new business move into old Top Dog Coffee Bar space?
Now that the eviction process is complete, it’s unclear if or when a new business will move into Top Dog’s former location.
However, Cliff said she was hopeful Van Gronigen would have a new tenant settled in soon.
“I’d be very surprised if she doesn’t have that place promised out to somebody,” she said.
Birchell is also excited about the prospect of a new business taking over the space.
In January, she and her daughter renewed the lease on their Main Street space in the hopes that business rebounds soon. She hopes a new business can move into Top Dog’s former location by March.
“We’re ready for them,” Birchell said. “It’s going to renew Main Street.”
This story was originally published January 23, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
