Winans Coffee & Chocolate is pulling the plug on its Short North outpost, with the shop set to close at 3 p.m. on June 6. The High Street storefront, which opened in February 2024, has been serving house-roasted coffee and handcrafted chocolates to early commuters and gallery-hop regulars.
As reported by The Columbus Dispatch, the Short North location at 611 N. High St. will close at 3 p.m. on June 6, and employees were offered the option to transfer to other Winans shops, an employee told the paper. The Dispatch noted nearby Winans outlets in German Village and Grandview as potential transfer spots for staff.
Company roots and local footprint
Winans began as a chocolate maker in Piqua in 1961 and has since grown into a regional roastery and chain of storefronts, according to the company. Winans Coffee & Chocolate lists German Village and Grandview among its Columbus locations, keeping the brand present in central Ohio even as the Short North shop prepares to close. Local coverage first reported the Short North opening in February 2024, and Columbus Underground offered a first look when the High Street café debuted.
Short North's crowded morning market
The Short North remains a tightly packed retail corridor with plenty of caffeine and pastry options to go around. Neighborhood listings show a dozen or more coffee-serving businesses along High Street between I-670 and Fifth Avenue, a dense lineup by any standard. The Short North Alliance maintains a directory of local businesses in the strip.
New openings this spring, including Maison Skalli at 662 N. High St. and the Mornings by Rooh pop-up at 685 N. High St., have added to the competition for breakfast and gallery-hop traffic, per local listings and operators' pages. Maison Skalli and Rooh Columbus list those recent launches.
"We're well-caffeinated in the Short North," Betsy Pandora told The Columbus Dispatch, summing up the crowded field of nearby options. The neighborhood will lose one coffee-and-chocolate stop this weekend, and nearby cafés and bakeries are poised to welcome any regulars looking for a new morning routine.
