Model T Coffee Co. on Congress Street in Portland’s Arts District has closed down after less than two years in business.

Owner Matthew Morgan said the coffeeshop, which closed in September, faced a combination of challenges. These included difficulties finding committed employees; and “constant struggles” with the Congress Street area stemming from lack of foot traffic, construction, the closure of nearby businesses and unhoused people with mental health challenges.

The shop was in a former Coffee by Design location, and Morgan said people confused the two businesses. But the last straw, he said, was the opening of two nearby coffee shops.

“I am a single person. I’m not backed by a corporation. I am just a small business,” he said. “I don’t have the capacity to work through significant period of downturn.”

Morgan, who also owns and operates Bru-Thru Coffee Shack in Cumberland, said he is looking for other spaces in Portland and elsewhere to reopen and expand the Model T business, adding lunch items and perhaps alcohol.