The popular chain’s remaining locations in New Haven, Hartford and Providence have now closed. G Cafe will take over the Orange Street store.
Khuan-Yu Hall
staff reporter
Khuan-Yu Hall, contributing photographer
After closing the three remaining coffeehouses in New England, Blue State Coffee withdrew from the coffee scene entirely.
G Cafe will take over the East Rock location on Orange Street, which currently operates four other locations in the state. The chain will also take over the Blue State location in Hartford. A Providence, Rhode Island location near the Brown University campus, now also closed.
“After 18 years, this is bittersweet, because while this is the right time for us to make this transition, we will miss being a part of our communities and serving our customers,” Blue State CEO Carolyn Greenspan told the News.
Greenspan says he has introduced the owners of Common Grounds and G Cafe to Blue State store managers and employees. Both Common Grounds and G Cafe have expressed their intention to hire former Blue State employees, though Greenspan said he is not aware of their hiring plans.
G Cafe owner and founder Andrea Corazzini said the expansion comes after about six weeks of negotiations with Blue State and drawing up plans for the new space. The Orange St. location will be the fifth location for G Cafe, joining existing bakery cafes in New Haven and Branford and a kiosk at Tweed Airport.
As New Haven has grown and new apartments have sprung up, Corazzini said she has seen her cafes get much more crowded. He hopes that by opening another coffee shop and bakery they will be able to meet the growing demand for G Cafe’s coffee and baked goods.
Corazzini, who was born in Italy and has lived in the New Haven area for 12 years, says he’s also excited about the Orange St. location because it comes with an existing customer base, one that Blue State has developed. To serve that customer base, Corazzini plans to maintain hours similar to Blue State’s.
Last month, some employees from the first three blue states on lockdown were insecure about whether they would have jobs with Common Grounds.
The News spoke to two employees of the recently opened Common Grounds on Wall St. who said they had just moved to New Haven and had not previously worked at Blue State. Common Grounds management was unable to comment.
At the Orange St. location, employees were optimistic about G Cafe and its new owner.
“[G Cafe] gave us applications, so it looks like they will accept the whole team,” an employee said.
Corazzini echoed these sentiments, saying they are very interested in hiring former employees of the Orange St. cafe and former employees of other blue states around New Haven.
“We have many open positions,” Corazzini said. “If any other barista from any other Blue States feels Common Grounds isn’t making time and he feels he could catch this train, he’s more than welcome to drop by.”
Many students found the permanent and total closure of Blue State unexpected.
“I think it’s really amazing that a local chain with such a strong presence in the community is going out of business altogether,” said Katelyn DeKeersgieter ’25. “I’m a little disappointed, but I had already made peace with the absence of $8 Blue State lattes in my life when the locations closest to campus closed.”
Corazzini said he envisions a challenge in transforming the feel of a “study room” into that of a cafe.
“A cafeteria bakery is a place where you go and talk with friends,” Corazzini said. “And you share moments and stories and enjoy coffee and food.”
G Cafe plans to open at 534 Orange St. on Wednesday.
