A downtown Aberdeen institution will close its doors Saturday.

The Aberdeen Cafe, owned by Crystal Taylor, will not renew its lease when it expires Aug. 1.

"Basically, it was a tough decision," Taylor said. "We were really hoping to be able to make a go of it, but there were some personal things that I have to attend to, and the economy has taken a turn for the worse."

Taylor works full-time at the Employment Security Comm-ission and lost her mother recently.

When she opened the Aberdeen Cafe in February, she had a partner, Stefanie Myrick, who was unable to continue.

"We had a lot happen at one time," Taylor said, "and it takes such a big commitment."

Taylor bought the restaurant in January and opened it in February. She closed it during the first week in March to revamp the interior and bring in new staff.

"Crystal really tried her hardest to get this going," said Melissa McPeak of McPeak Hotels, the property owner. "I've got to hand it to her, she really wanted it to happen."

Betsy Mofield, a lifelong Aberdeen resident and the mayor, is one of many regulars who will miss the cafe.

"It really is an institution," Mofield said. "It always had good food and good fellowship for all of Aberdeen's residents. My kids would tease me because we would go for dinner every Friday, and we would sit there for hours. We didn't leave until they started putting the little jellies into the containers for the next day's breakfast. We just had a wonderful time visiting with everyone. It's a shame Crystal never had a chance to reclaim the restaurant clientele."

The Aberdeen Cafe has been open for several years under the ownership of many families. It was opened by Larry Boles in 1974 as Baron's Downtowner. Over the years, it has been owned and operated by the Griffin family, Mike Dunn, the Mays family, and Lloyd Manning and his family.

"It's been great," Taylor said. "People have loved the place and I really enjoyed it. Once we get our bearings back, I'll definitely be looking for something else to do."

McPeak said the location can be rented sooner than the lease expiration date. She added that there is already some interest in the location.

"But nothing is set in stone until the contract is signed," she said.

Contact Mary Griffin at mgriffin@thepilot.com.