Vespa Espresso Bar in Mary St closes down two years after rebrand from Emilia’s Cafe

An iconic Mary St hang out has unexpectedly closed its doors less than two years after it was rebranded, much to the shock of a legion of loyal customers.

An iconic Mary St hang out has unexpectedly closed its doors less than two years after it was rebranded.

Vespa Espresso Bar, formerly known as Emilia’s Cafe until it was rebranded in August 2020, shared the devastating news to their Facebook page on Friday afternoon.

“With a heavy heart, we have permanently closed Vespa,” they wrote.

It is the end of an era for Vespa Espresso Bar in Mary St, Gympie, who announced their permanent closure on social media on Friday afternoon.

“It’s been an eventful journey with so many laughs and many tears over the years, but we always had the three of us.”

According to the post, the team will pursue early retirement.

The Gympie Times reached out to owner Jodi Giorno for comment, who politely declined.

The shock announcement comes less than two years after the espresso bar was rebranded from Emilia’s Cafe in 2020.

This year would be the cafe’s 20th anniversary.

Owner Jodi Giorno told the Gympie Times in 2020 the pandemic was the final nail in Emilia’s coffin after months of lost income.

But instead of walking away, Ms Giorno downsized and rebranded the cafe into Vespa; which was a nod to her late husband, Giovanni, who sadly passed away after a heart attack in 2017.

“I keep him with the logo. I keep him with his Vespa, and he would have loved that,” she said in 2020.

Giovanni Giorno, Ms Giorno’s late husband, sadly passed away in 2017 after a heart attack, but his legacy lived on after Emilia’s Cafe was rebranded to Vespa in 2020.

The news of Vespa closing was met with heartfelt comments online from a legion of loyal customers.

“Thank you for all the fabulous years,” Charmaine Lyons said.

“Wishing you all the best Jodi, Maria and the team. We will miss your delicious food, coffee and most of all your friendly faces,” Emma Graham said.