Screenshot via Instagram/@panthercoffee
Audio By Carbonatix
For more than a decade, Panther Coffee’s Sunset Harbour outpost has been one of those rare Miami places that felt like a true neighborhood anchor. The tables filled with freelancers and friends catching up, the familiar rotation of regulars stopping in for their morning cappuccino, the scent of freshly roasted beans drifting out onto Purdy Avenue; it all helped define the quiet, walkable pocket of Miami Beach long before it became one of the city’s trendiest enclaves.
Now, after 13 years, Panther Coffee is closing the doors to its beloved Sunset Harbour location. According to its founders, Leticia and Joel Pollock, the decision wasn’t made due to dwindling sales or a lack of support. Quite the opposite — the café was thriving. The closure, they say, comes down to one thing: an untenable lease negotiation and a landlord unwilling to meet them halfway.
Screenshot via Instagram/@panthercoffee
“We’re Going Not by Choice and Not by Failure”
In a candid and emotional Instagram post, Panther shared the news directly with its community.
“A bit of a long one. Forgive me if this comes off a little raw,” the message begins. “After 13 years, they’re closing our doors at the #SunsetHarbour location. We did not want to leave, and we did all we could.”
The statement explains that at one point, the shop’s only option was to sign a new ten-year lease at what they describe as “the highest rate ever for the area,” a price they say the small business simply could not afford. They wrote that efforts to negotiate were unsuccessful.
“Although we were still searching for creative ways to make it work, we recently received an official notice that the landlord will not renew our lease,” the post continues. “In the same email, they already asked us to allow a new tenant to come take measurements (!). Just like that, it’s game over for our time in Sunset Harbour.”
Panther confirmed that its last day of service at 1875 Purdy Ave. will be February 28. The team emphasized that the closure is “not by choice and not by failure,” adding, “As someone said at the shop last week: ‘We’re being dumped.’ It sucks.”
Staff from the Sunset Harbour location will have the option to relocate to other Panther cafés in the Miami area.
Panther Coffee photo
From Cold-Brew Bicycle to Miami Coffee Icon
For founders Joel and Leticia Pollock, closing a store is uncharted territory. “Joel, myself, and the Panther team have never closed a location in the 15 years we’ve worked together,” the post reads, noting that one early lesson stands out: “Be choosy when it comes to a landlord. The role it plays in a small business’s longevity cannot be understated.”
Panther Coffee is widely credited with ushering in Miami’s modern craft coffee movement in 2010. Before the Wynwood flagship became a pilgrimage site for caffeine lovers, the Pollocks were roasting beans and introducing locals to cold brew from a bicycle at food truck gatherings. Their carefully sourced beans, from Nicaragua, Brazil, Guatemala, Ethiopia, and beyond, helped change how Miami drinks coffee, expanding the city’s palate beyond cafecitos while still honoring the culture of daily ritual.
Panther has won nearly ten New Times “Best Of” awards, including its most recent in 2022. This year, it was named among the best coffee shops in the world.
Over the years, Panther’s Sunset Harbour shop became more than a café. It was a morning checkpoint, a remote workspace, a first-date spot, a post-beach refuel, and, for many, a steady constant in a neighborhood that has transformed rapidly around it.
Photo by billwisserphoto.com
A Farewell Filled With Gratitude — and One Last Cup
Longtime customers immediately filled the comments on the shop’s Instagram post, with comments ranging from, “This is so heartbreaking. Thank you for all the years filling my cup when I lived in 1900 Purdy Ave,” and “I made so many memories working here, with the best team! So disheartening, but I know that Panther will still thrive! Love ya’ll!” to “This breaks my heart. I remember 13 years ago when you all labored long and hard to get the location open. It was a very special time, almost magical. And it was part of my mornings. It has been part of my morning for the last 13 years. Gone are Sardinia, Nayiara, Ice Box Cafe, Stiltsville, and now Panther Sunset Harbour. Three of those spots are still vacant, and all due to a greedy landlord with no vision for the community.”
Despite the neighborhood heartbreak, Panther Coffee remains hopeful.
“We remain grateful. We’ll learn what we’re ready to learn, carry the memories, and move forward contentedly, knowing we have enough. So come get some coffee and remember the good times at 1875 Purdy while it lasts. Thank you to the wonderful guests we love and shared so many moments over the last 13 years in Sunset Harbour.”
For Miami Beach, it marks more than the loss of a coffee shop. It serves as a poignant reminder of how fragile even the most beloved neighborhood spaces can be, and how deeply they matter when they’re gone.
Panther Coffee Sunset Harbour. 1875 Purdy Ave., Miami Beach; 305-677-3952; panthercoffee.com. Closing February 28, 2026.
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