After nearly five years in business, Sam’s Place Jazz Café in Milwaukee’s Harambee neighborhood will close today.
The café, which served owner Sam Belton’s proprietary coffee and a variety of soul food breakfast and lunch dishes accompanied by live jazz music, announced its closure on Wednesday.
“This place was never just about food and the best coffee around,” an announcement on its website said. “It was about connection, culture and community… This transition means Pastor Sam (Belton) can travel the world sharing the Gospel on the continent of Africa, gigging across the local region sharing the love of jazz, and finding peace on the water with a fishing line in hand.”
Belton opened Sam’s Place Jazz Café in 2021 following the closure of his first café concept City Net Jazz Café, previously located at 306 E. Wisconsin Ave. City Net Jazz Café operated in its space from 2004 to 2021. While operating City Net, Belton created his own coffee roastery business Abyssinnia Coffee Roasters in 2015, which he then served in his café locations, according to Sam’s Place’s website.
The building in which Sam’s Place resides is owned by Milwaukee-based Bader Philanthropies, which helped Belton and his wife open the business in 2021. The company has no plans as to what the space will hold next, according to Frank Cumberbatch, vice president of engagement at Bader Philanthropies.
Belton did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the closure.
