HomeNEWSHudson River Coffee House Runs Into Some Trouble

Hudson River Coffee House Runs Into Some Trouble

By AMEARA DITSCHE
Staff Writer

Hudson River Coffee House, a longtime student favorite has announced it will be closing by the end of May. the coffee shop, located on Hudson Avenue and Quail Street is a go-to spot for coffee lovers, students, and musicians. It serves all the regular cafe fare and has a variety of seating to do homework, chat with friends, or just relax. It also features a regular open mic night where local artists can showcase their talents.

Conor Walsh, junior Music Industry student at The College of Saint Rose utilized the coffee shop’s open-mics to get his start in the Albany music scene said “It’s a shame to see a small town business have issues like that, and it’s a shame for all who perform there. It was a great outlet for musicians and comedians alike. The Hudson River Coffee House was one of the first places I ever played in Albany, The open mics, whenever I’ve been there, had great attendance. The crowd was never the exact same; however, the spirit of the place always was. It’s a shame to see it go.”

As mentioned, this is not the first time Hudson River Coffee House has been closed. In 2017, the IRS seized the property due to $60,000 in back taxes, a side effect of the debt owner Anton Pasquill got into while running a second cafe. He announced and explained this decision via a facebook post on April 4, writing

“As a lot of you already know, this week I officially had to close down Hudson River Coffee House. Despite my best efforts and years of 100 hour weeks trying to overcome it, the debt I accrued trying to get my second shop off the ground on Delaware Ave was just too much. But the past nine years have been an incredible experience from start to finish. I want to thank all of you for not only being loyal customers to the store, but for becoming not just an incredible community but for becoming my incredible community–my closest friends, my most meaningful relationships, and my fondest memories.” Pasquill did not respond when contacted asking for further comment.

The General Manager of Hudson River Coffee House was Lucas Pasquill, younger brother to Anton Pasquill. Lucas Pasquill had been managing the coffee shop since September of 2018, but had seen the cafe grow since its opening. He worked there behind the counter throughout high school. According to Pasquill there is no direct connection between the 2017 closing and this year’s final closing.

“HRCH is closing because of the business’s current financial situation. Anton has decided it’s best to shut it down and deal with the business’s debt on his own.” said Pasquill when asked what specifically is causing the closing.

According to Pasquill, a tax attorney had been hired since the 2017 closing whom was working with the state on behalf of the cafe.

This event did jumpstart the decline of Hudson River Coffee House, as it all became a lot to handle. Pasquill took steps to stabilize the finances and try to keep the cafe open, but in the end they just weren’t quite enough.

Lucas is opening his own cafe soon, he has a GoFundMe set up titled “Pine Hills Needs Coffee” to try and raise some of the initial funds. He would love for it to be in the same location as coffee house but is unsure if that is possible yet. Either way he will be working on bringing another coffee spot to the Pine Hills Neighborhood.

It is not uncommon to find coffee houses crawling with college students getting their caffeine fix in between papers and assignments. Coffee house was no exception. Many St. Rose students often would go there to do homework, or just get coffee and a hoagie or pastry. Kate Harrington, a freshmen at St. Rose would often visit the cafe as it was just a short walk from her dorm in Brubacher Hall. “I was so sad when I heard it was closing. It was such a cozy atmosphere to escape to to get some coffee and do work or just relax,” said Harrington.

Coffee house seems as if it will definitely be missed among St. Rose students and Albany locals alike. Pasquill has plans to hopefully have the cafe open through the end of May. So if you’re a fan, or someone looking for a new cup of coffee to try, Hudson River Coffee House will at least be here to get you through finals week.

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