R&R Espresso closes after sales drop

Published 9:07 am Friday, August 12, 2011

The R&R Espresso stand, located in the Rite Aid parking lot has closed.

The stand, which has apparently been closed for at least a week, has been a long time Island location for coffee and other snacks.

Andrey Litovkin said he was forced to close down after sales dropped dramatically.

“When I first bought the stand we were doing between $350 and $600 in sales a day, but at the end it was down to $200. I got myself into a big debt,” he said.

Litovkin, who also owns a remodeling business, said it was very hard to make the decision to close.

“It was really sad for me,” he said. The building’s lease is up next year, but Litovkin said he’s not planning on selling the business because he understands from the property manager that when the lease is up the building will be torn down.

The stand was sold last October to Litovkin. Before Litovkin took over, the stand was own by Richard Hager and his daughter Kristin Kevil who owned and operated the business for 19 years.

Litovkin said he loved the stand and owning it, but that he couldn’t continue, financially, to let it weigh down.

“It wasn’t fair to my family,” he said. “It is a business and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.”