LA JOLLA, Calif. (KGTV) — Pannikin, a beloved cafe and coffee shop which has been located on Girard Avenue in La Jolla since the early 1970's, has been served notice that it must vacate by the middle of April.
“At the end of the day, it was not something that I thought was going to happen," Pannikin co-owner Amanda Morrow told ABC 10News.
Morrow says she had been negotiating with her landlords on a new lease for several months, but an acceptable deal has not been reached.
Customers have been devastated. “We’re all just, I think, in shock mode. It seems so unexpected. I don’t believe it. I really want to believe that something can be done," said Mikayla Wittman, whose grandparents used to frequent Pannikin while vacationing from Montana in the 1970's.
“It’s not just a normal Starbucks coffee shop. It’s going to be very sad to see it go," said another customer, who has been a regular since first attending UC San Diego as an undergrad in 1973.
Morrow says she is open to ideas on a next step. That could include continuing negotiating with the landlord or potentially searching for a new location. Customers have launched a GoFundMe page to raise money to help with a relocation. As of Thursday afternoon, it had raised more than $5,000.
The County Assessor Office told ABC 10News the property is owned by two trusts. ABC 10News was unable to reach either of them for comment.
