Not only is the Aurora Provisions market and cafe closing (Aug. 22), but it intends to become a catering operation, making it doubtful that another cafe will rise in its location.

This decision, I think, offers a clue to the mystery of how Aurora could, in roughly one year, go from extraordinarily popular to not working.

The old cafe was connected to the West End. The owners were locally minded, present to greet regulars and oversee operations. There was a special table for community gatherings. The staff seemed to feed off that spirit.

The new cafe lost all that. You never saw the new owners, and the whole place acquired an institutional feel.

In short, Aurora lost its community and its soul. Now, the owners could provide a parting service to the West End by selling the building to more creative, locally committed food entrepreneurs and moving their kitchen to another spot.

Tim Wallace

Portland