The not-so-good news is The Pantry in South Invercargill will close on December 20.
The hopeful news is something different is expected to take its place.
The Pantry has been run by South Alive, a company owned by the South Invercargill Rejuvenation Charitable Trust.
The trust was set up in 2012 to help bring new life to the south of the city.
The trust bought the former Bin Inn building in 2016 and refitted the interior.
The Pantry, comprising a grocery retail section and cafe, opened in 2017 and later community rooms were finished.
South Alive board chairwoman Sue McNeill said it had not been an easy decision to shut the cafe and shop.
"The staff and all the volunteers have worked really hard to see if we could make it work.
"The economic times are just too tough for us."
In the new year, after community consultation, the trust would decide how the space would be used.
"I guess the positive is that South Alive will be taking the space over and are very keen to ensure that whatever goes into there has manaakitanga in the form of food [and] beverage and a welcoming space for our community groups."
Ms McNeill said she had been involved with The Pantry for about five years as a volunteer.
The staff and community members who came in were the highlight of the time for her, she said.
"When you volunteer for something like that, you get far more than you ever give but it’s about the people mostly for me."
Some older people who came in for a coffee and scone spent a good length of time there.
"It’s about the company and the community and the space and the support."
Trust chairwoman Beryl Wilcox said The Pantry had been an important community hub offering manaakitanga and providing a welcoming space for many.
"It is with deep sadness that The Pantry is closing and we recognise the impact this will have on our community.
"We firmly believe our community needs a place where people can come together and we hope to be able to fulfil this in a new way in the new year."
Bluff resident Noel Peterson said while he did not come in every day he still supported The Pantry when he was in town.
When he heard it was closing he was upset and puzzled as to why it was shutting.
"It’s always been a busy and happy place with wonderful service, wonderful goods for sale and the principle of the recycling . . . and gathering the community together. "It’s going to be a huge loss." He wondered if there was a possibility that someone could be found at the 11th hour to save the business.
"If we lose it, it’ll be very, very hard to bring it back."
If the business could keep going through the tough patch, he was confident all would be well when the economy recovered, he said.
