Café Maggie closes permanently after four-year run on Fourth Ave

Café Maggie, a neighborhood cafe 745 N. Fourth Ave., permanently closed after a four-and-a-half-year run. The cafe announced the closure Sunday on Instagram, citing a costly equipment breakdown and years of financial losses.

Owner cites equipment breakdown, mounting costs

Cafe ownership spent more than four years pouring time and money into the cafe. They wrote on Instagram that they aimed to make it “a welcoming place with good food and friendly staff.”

They kept the cafe running, but a recent equipment breakdown created an expense the business could not absorb. “The last of my capital will go to paying my employees a small severance,” they wrote in the post. “I am unable to keep the cafe open,” they added.

From Epic Café to Café Maggie

The corner cafe at Fourth Avenue and University Boulevard operated as Epic Café for most of its existence. Epic Café opened in the early 1990s and served coffee and pastries to generations of Tucsonans.

Epic Café closed in 2020 and went on the market. Ownership changed and reopened the space as Café Maggie in November 2020. The cafe was named after Maggie, a longtime resident houseplant at the shop. Café Maggie continued to serve espresso drinks, sandwiches and other treats in a cozy, Wi-Fi-friendly atmosphere.