It's Over for The Yova

Deza Pascual thinks The Yova Shop deserves an owner that can committ to the South Oak Park coffee shop full time. 

Earlier:  

The space at 818 S. Oak Park Ave. that Pascual began with her brother Ed Ruselle in 2010 is scheduled to close at the end of May. It's not that business was bad, she said. It's about committment.

"To be the face of something, you have to be there all the time," she said.

And that's not something she or Ruselle were ready to do. Pascual, 32, already holds down a full-time job for a general contracting company. Ruselle had been pursuing a master's degree while working in the financial industry. 

"We tried our hardest," she said during a recent chat at the shop, where several customers dropped by for afternoon treats. "It is what it is."

Pascual's family is hoping for a clean break from running the shop — they've posted sale information online and at the store — but they're also hoping someone can come in and revive it.

To that end, they're offering three months of free to "anyone who wants to come in and give it a shot.

"We'd hate for this area not to have a coffee shop," she said.