For four years, Brew It Coffee House has been more than just a café for students at Las Vegas Academy (LVA). The coffee shop has been a place for connection and creativity. When its sudden closure was announced, students and staff alike were left heartbroken. The owner of the cherished café, Willie Villanueva, shed some light on the situation.
“Kids kept us in business. They supported us the last four years. We watched them grow from being a freshman to senior, seeing them grow as they go into their adulthood,” Villanueva said.
When asked about the reason for the closure, Villanueva cited “the rising cost of living, high rent, and the struggling economy.”
As for his next steps, Villanueva said, “I’m gonna take some well-deserved time off … but then I’m going to have to get a job because I need to pay all my bills here. But once that’s all done, hopefully we’ll bring Brew It to another location, a better location, a bigger location.”
When Brew It announced its closure, some LVA students gathered at the location one last time to say goodbye to the beloved coffee shop.
Gavin Watson, an LVA senior visiting the café, said, “I built a lot of really fond memories here with friends that I hold really close. Just wonderful memories all around in this building.”
“I’ve been coming here for the past three years. I always order a mango smoothie, and after the loss of Bucket List down at Container Park, all my favorite spots to chill and eat food and get drinks are just kind of slowly going away,” Watson said.
Villanueva’s message to everyone who stopped by over the years was: “Thank you all for your support. We appreciate every one of you coming down. I know there’s other places to go, but you decided to come here and support us. And that was a big blessing. You made a heart feel real good.”
Brew It Coffee House may be closed, but for many LVA students, it will remain a cherished before-and-after-school gathering spot.
