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Coffee Shop on Madison Ave. Shutters After Just 5 Months

 The owner of Dandy Espresso said that struggles with finances and the landlord led the shop to close.
Dandy Espresso
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UPPER EAST SIDE — A Madison Avenue coffee shop that built a loyal following after opening this winter closed its doors due to financial troubles and difficulties with its landlord, the owner said.

Dandy Espresso, which opened at 1375 Madison Ave. at East 96th Street in February, served its last cappuccino Friday despite efforts to expand the business.

“It was pure economics: rents, expenses," owner Albery Wu said. "We just can’t afford it.” 

Wu said that in addition to running out of money, his landlord refused to allow the space to serve alcohol and that he planned to shut down the shop's oven. 

Dandy developed a reputation among locals for its high-quality coffee and pastries, serving locally roasted brews, baking some treats in house and sourcing others from local bakeries.

Michael Campbell, a shift supervisor at the shop, said business was slow at first but picked up once spring arrived.

“People started to get out of their ordinary routine and say, ‘Let’s not just go to Starbucks,’” he said of the chain, which is located across the street from Dandy.

Campbell added that the shop built a clientele of regulars, many of them students or teachers at nearby Hunter College High School or employees of Mt. Sinai Hospital.

Despite that popularity, Wu, who owns Upper East Side restaurant China Fun, said business wasn’t growing fast enough.

“It’s just a very tough business environment," he said. "Costs are up but there’s only so much you can sell coffee and muffins for.”

Wu said that he looked into applying for a wine and beer license to attract a dinner crowd, but that his landlord, Philip Ruth, would not allow it.

At one point, Wu said, Ruth informed him that he was not allowed to maintain the stove in the cafe’s kitchen even though it had been agreed to in the lease.

“I wrote him an email and said, ‘We’re a cafe. You’re going to put us out of business,’” Wu said. “He never responded.”

A representative at Ruth’s real estate company, A. Ruth & Sons, declined to comment.

Wu initially hoped to reopen Dandy in a different location but decided against the idea.

“It’s been a very difficult period for everybody,” he said. “I’d hate to drag my family through this again.”

Customers on Friday said they were sad to see the shop go.

Maevea Schlienger, a graduate student in psychology who travels around Manhattan to work with clients, ranked Dandy as one of the top three cafes in the borough and was surprised to hear it was closing. 

“The quality is amazing and you can tell they really love coffee,” she said, describing a day when the barista set up an impromptu tasting of different roasts for her. “I don’t think that’s something that would happen at Starbucks.”