Well, if you’re searching for a good coffee shop in Harrisburg, you may have noticed over the past few years that it’s been getting harder and harder to find an independent, non-chain coffeehouse in this city. A bad economy, civic financial and crime woes, and a migrating youth population are all likely to blame for this; less foot traffic and less liquid capital mean less money to spend on luxuries, and so all of the hip little stores and restaurants downtown have to divide up the customers. Many businesses that started out here late last decade are no longer with us. The most recent casualty of this has been Midtown’s own Cafe Di Luna.

Yes, earlier this month, one of Harrisburg’s best coffee providers packed up her bags and closed up shop. Ambreen Esmail, owner of the chic Cafe Di Luna on Third Street in Midtown has moved away to Atlanta. It’s a sad day for coffee lovers here in Central PA; Ambreen was (and continues to be) someone who is totally dedicated to her craft and to the people who were lucky enough to call themselves both her regular customers and her friends. She’ll still be plying her trade down in the south, where there’s more foot traffic and where she’ll have the support of her family, many of whom live down there. I can understand that for certain; my family is of paramount importance to me, and the idea of being thousands of miles away from them, even to make my fortune, does not sit easily with me! Cafe Di Luna will possibly have a brick-and-mortar store down there, and Ambreen told me that she will start doing some coffee bean sales online I’ll let you all know more when I hear from her again. Until then, keep calm and carry on caffeinating.