Urbana Cafe has closed its East Price Hill coffee shop at 3114 Warsaw Ave., ending a run that began when the regional chain became one of the corridor's earliest commercial tenants. The shuttered storefront won't stay empty for long: Black- and veteran-owned Cream + Sugar Coffee House is set to move in for its second-ever location, though no opening date has been announced.
Urbana closed the East Price Hill location on July 12, 2026, and made the closure public on Aug. 4, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. In its announcement, Urbana said it was grateful for the opportunity to serve the Price Hill neighborhood, the outlet reported.
A Black-Owned Newcomer With Deeper Roots in Evanston
Cream + Sugar Coffee House was founded in Evanston in 2020 by U.S. Army veterans Taren Kinebrew and Crystal Grace as a Black-owned community cafe, according to The Voice of Black Cincinnati. Kinebrew also operates Sweet Petit Desserts, while Grace owns Grace + Grit Spa, the outlet notes.
Urbana said Cream + Sugar's concept and mission would be a great fit for Price Hill, per the Enquirer's report, and the outgoing chain has pledged to help with the transition over the next few weeks. It's unclear how much support, if any, Price Hill Will has offered to smooth the handoff between tenants.
Cream + Sugar runs an entrepreneurship internship and youth mentorship program aimed at children ages 7 to 10, teaching business ownership skills from Black entrepreneurs, per The Voice of Black Cincinnati. The cafe's menu also includes plant-based options, another piece of the community-focused model it plans to bring to Warsaw Avenue.
Urbana's Long Run, From Vespa Cart to Regional Chain
Urbana Cafe traces back to 2013, when founder Daniel Noguera began serving espresso out of a custom coffee bar mounted on a vintage powder-blue Vespa Ape cart at Findlay Market, according to Cincinnati Magazine. The cart eventually grew into a brick-and-mortar cafe in Pendleton in 2015, the magazine reported.
In July 2022, Urbana merged its operations with local pastry maker Moxy, tapping chef Lou Turner to build a unified baking program across its locations, per Cincinnati CityBeat. Moxy had previously supplied wholesale baked goods to several other local cafes, according to the same report.
With East Price Hill gone, Urbana's remaining footprint includes Findlay Market, Moxy, Pendleton, East Walnut Hills, and a temporary spot inside the Contemporary Arts Center, per the Enquirer. That downtown arrangement dates to February, when Urbana announced it was relocating its flagship from the Atlas Building to the CAC lobby through summer 2027 while the building undergoes apartment conversions, according to the Contemporary Arts Center. Urbana had operated inside the Atlas Building for four years.
Inside the Warsaw Avenue Creative Campus
The 3114 Warsaw Ave. storefront sits inside the Warsaw Avenue Creative Campus, a $10 million mixed-use historic restoration co-developed by nonprofit Price Hill Will and The Model Group, according to HomeBase Cincy. The project converted eight formerly vacant properties into retail spaces and 13 low-income apartments, the outlet reported.
Neighboring tenants along the campus include the MYCincinnati Firehouse performing arts center, Wendigo Tea Co., plant shop Living Rooms, and Latin eatery Sabor Alaniz, according to Price Hill Will. The organization manages the campus's storefronts as part of its push to keep the corridor community-focused.
What Urbana's Exit Means for the Corridor's Momentum
Hoodline reported in May that restored storefronts along the corridor were helping drive a broader comeback, with coverage noting Price Hill's bet on arts and describing Urbana as one of the anchors fueling that renewal. The outlet also reported in April on a wider wave of dining growth nearby, including the return of the Vine & Dine series in the Incline District.
Just months after that coverage, the anchor tenant is gone. Whether Urbana's departure reflects shifting foot traffic on Warsaw Avenue or a broader consolidation for the regional chain isn't addressed in the available reporting, and Cream + Sugar has yet to announce when its second location will open.
