Estero cafe closure sparks community support and new ideas for future use

ESTERO, Fla. (WINK)—A pet-friendly cafe in Estero has closed, but the owner is taking an unusual approach by openly sharing what went wrong.

The team at Paw-radise Estero posted online about the rise and fall of the business, and people in the community are jumping into the comments with advice and support.

The post is getting a lot of attention online, with people thanking the owner for being honest and even offering ideas for what the space could become next.

But the owner, Benjamin Major, said the cafe started with a simple idea, grab a coffee while you're here with your dog. It just didn't work out that way.

What started as a big idea for dog lovers in Estero ended with a hard business lesson.

"The assumption was essentially that a lot of our clientele would purchase, maybe food or drinks when coming in, without really doing any sort of market research or any previous like surveys," Major said.

But that assumption didn't pan out. The cafe was just one part of Paw-radise, alongside dog grooming, retail and an indoor dog park.

"We used to host 20 events a month here into the park," Major said. "Our cafe sales like never spiked during those events."

Eventually, the numbers didn't make sense. The cafe closed after sales couldn't keep up with payroll.

"At the end of the day in business, sometimes you just have to, you got to eat it," Major said.

Instead of hiding it, Major decided to post the full story on Facebook. The response included many comments with people thanking him for the honesty and even suggesting new ideas for the space.

"The comments that we receive, like, we love you guys. You guys are the best. You know, that's a lot of stuff that's really nice to hear," Major said.

For now, the cafe space is quiet. But the rest of the business, including dog grooming, is still going strong.

Major said he'll take any feedback on what comes next.

"I like to listen, I've asked a lot of people, and I've received a lot of suggestions," Major said.

Major is considering everything from renting out the space to bringing back those community events.