Ann Arbor cafe owner launches effort to revive small businesses lost to pandemic - WDIV ClickOnDetroit

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ANN ARBOR – One of the most heartbreaking aspects of covering this pandemic has been hearing from local business owners how sales have plummeted in a college town that is usually bustling with shoppers.

David Lin closed two of his businesses in Ann Arbor in the spring of last year because of a sharp decline in sales. The owner of Bubble Island and the CEO of the Midwest coffee chain Espresso Royale, Lin said he saw business change overnight.

“Sales dropped 90% during the pandemic,” said Lin.

While restaurants pivoted to carry out and delivery, Lin said his bubble tea and coffee shops saw a sharp decline in demand.

“The last week that Bubble Island was open, it was so depressing,” said Lin. “Usually, we’d do something like $3,000 that day and we did $30. Unfortunately, when you look at those kind of numbers, it’s really hard to think that you’re going to be able to survive such a thing.”

Lin opened Bubble Island 20 years ago on South University, a popular area among students dense with food and drink options. After University of Michigan students went home in mid-March 2020 and classes went online, Lin said walking around the empty campus felt like a scene from a zombie apocalypse movie.

David Lin poses with a sign promoting the COVID Rescue Fund outside his shuttered Espresso Royale coffee shop on 1101 S University Ave. on April 26, 2021. (Meredith Bruckner)

With 20 locations in college towns across the Midwest, Lin watched as business at the 30-year-old Espresso Royale coffee chain -- normally packed with students and community members -- ground to a halt. With more than $100,000 of operating costs to pay each month, a guaranteed slow summer and unpredictable fall loomed as COVID cases climbed.

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Ann Arbor cafe owner launches effort to revive small businesses lost to pandemic - WDIV ClickOnDetroit
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