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The location of Y%F Coffee on the corner of Congress and High Streets in Portland in 2025, before it was leased to the business. (Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer)

The owner of a new Portland coffee shop that has been ordered to close while it works to resolve multiple code violations hopes to reopen the business soon.

Y%F Coffee, located in the Schwartz building at 600 Congress St., has been operating without a business license or a certificate of occupancy, city spokesperson Jessica Grondin said.

The business also faces a violation for improperly installing its HVAC system.

Grondin said the business is being issued a $1,000 fine and has been instructed not to reopen until it meets the requirements.

A sign in the window of Y%F Coffee in Portland on Tuesday. (Riley Board/Staff Writer)

In a phone call Tuesday afternoon, owner Yousif Albadri said he has been working to rectify the issues and aims to have everything required to reopen soon — possibly as soon as Wednesday.

A notice was initially posted on the business’s window in February after it failed its final inspection, Grondin said. Y%F Coffee officially opened for business in March.

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City staff conducted a site visit on Friday, Grondin said, and notified the owner of the violations and instructed him to close the business.

“At that time, a notice was posted on the window and a summons was issued,” she said.

During a follow-up inspection on Tuesday, staff found the business open and “explicitly advised the owner not to reopen” until the required license and certificate are obtained, Grondin said.

Before the location was leased to Y%F Coffee last year, the storefront had been empty for about 15 years.

Staff Writer Andrew Rice contributed to this story.

Drew is the night reporter for the Portland Press Herald. He previously covered South Portland, Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth for the Sentry, Leader and Southern Forecaster. Though he is from Massachusetts,...

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