Business & Tech

A Novel Cafe Will Close Its Doors On Saturday

Combination bookstore and cafe had opened in November, 2010.

For the third time in less than six months, a Tewksbury restaurant is closing its doors.

will close for good on Saturday, Sept. 10, according to co-owner Marc Ginsburg. The business, which combined a bookstore and cafe, was managed by Ginsberg's wife, Leisa.

"In the end it was just a business decision," said Marc Ginsburg. "After the summer, we took a look at things and we made the call.

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"This was a dream of Leisa's and she put a ton of work into it. She was working 60 hours a week down there."

A Novel Cafe is located in the historic Hardy-Pike house. Built in 1740, it is the third oldest building in Tewksbury.

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Ginsburg, a successful developer and owner of the completely renovated the building, including installing a state-of-the-art kitchen.

The cafe has been host to children's story hours, book signings and live music. With free Wi-Fi and a quiet atmosphere, it has been a popular location professionals and students to open their laptops.

But in an era of mega-bookstores, online book stores and Nooks, the business was fighting an uphill battle from the outset to grab a share of the market.

Ginsburg said he is planning to put the property on the market and feels it would present a ready-made venue for someone looking to open a restaurant or other retail business on the site.

"We went all out with the renovation. We spared nothing," he said. "It would be very easy for someone to move in and open."

While the cafe portion of A Novel Cafe will close, the bookstore will remain open for an undetermined amount of time to liquidate the stock, said Ginsburg.

Ginsburg added that any Novel Cafe gift cards that had not yet been redeemed by the time the business closes its doors permanently, will be honored at the Tew-Mac Tavern.

2011 has not been a good year for Tewksbury restaurants. Earlier this year, and

 

 


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