Half Price Books. Photo by Renee Umsted.
A new sign on the cafe door reads, “Stay tuned! Big things in the works!”
Black Forest Coffee, the previous occupant of the bookstore’s cafe, closed on May 28. The coffee shop was an extension of Henk’s European Deli & Black Forest Bakery located behind Half Price Books. Henk’s opened in 1991 and was followed by the coffee shop’s opening in 1999.
The small coffee shop was owned and operated by the Winnubsts, the same family who owns Henk’s. Adrian Winnubst, one of the owners, explained that it was time to step out of the space and let a new business in.
“It (the coffee shop) just never bounced back after COVID,” he said. “Then there was an opportunity to … let somebody else come in and take over.”
Winnubst encouraged customers that the bakery in Henk’s is still thriving.
“Our business here is still growing in the bakery … it was just a good time … to change gears,” he said.
A Half Price Books PR representative affirmed that changes will be coming to the space but refrained from sharing more details.
“We hope to have a formal announcement in the coming weeks about updates to our flagship location coffee shop space,” the representative said.
Henk’s European Deli & Black Forest Bakery is located at 5811 Blackwell St. The flagship location of HPB is located at 5803 E. NW Hwy.
